We believe everyone has something to contribute to the success at Keller. That’s why we’re passionate about investing in our people and creating an environment of continuous learning, empowerment and inclusivity that helps people reach their full potential. We also take a leadership role in our industry and the communities in which we operate to encourage personal and economic growth.
Learning and development programmes
Global
Keller’s ability to achieve its business strategy relies on the expertise, skills and experience of its employees. In 2025, we concluded an effort to build competency frameworks for a selection of roles critical to the day-to-day operation of the business. These frameworks help us deliver fundamental skills and knowledge to key employees across the Group, enabling them to maximise their on-the-job learning in a consistent way.
We also implemented a new global development programme targeting branch leaders and senior operational leaders. Based on the competency framework for profit and loss leaders, the Strategic Leadership Blueprint is a blended programme that combines cutting-edge online content from internationally recognised business schools and universities with Keller-hosted application sessions. The programme features core modules on strategic leadership, business finance and employee development, supported by dedicated leadership coaching. Its structure has been designed to deliver high-value learning at scale across a diverse geographic footprint.
Divisional
APAC
In APAC, learning and development in 2025 was closely aligned to the division's growth strategy, with a strong focus on building sustainable capability across business development, engineering and operations. In India, structured competency frameworks were embedded across business development, engineering, project management and field leadership roles, supported by targeted hiring, graduate and early-career programmes. We also engaged in partnerships with academic institutions such as IIT Madras to develop a short training course for design engineers tailored to Keller’s needs. In Austral, comprehensive competency frameworks were launched across engineering and project management roles, supported by improved performance appraisal processes, leadership and high-potential programmes, and funded traineeships to strengthen the supervisor pipeline. Keller Australia continued to invest in experiential learning through its structured two-year graduate programme, leadership and succession planning workshops, and the rollout of internal programmes such as the 'Keller Ways of Working – Project Delivery & HSEQ Awareness' workshop. Together, these initiatives reflect a coordinated APAC approach to building technical expertise, leadership capability and long-term talent pipelines.
EME
EME extended its range of Keller Academy training programmes to a new advanced leadership programme for senior leaders. Supporting our field engineers with a practical entry-level leadership training programme and the now well-established Geotechnical Construction Project Management Training programme, we equipped the participants also with experience from our highly motivated internal trainers. These training modules were complemented by further modules such as Keller's Counsellor Sales Process, which seeks to increase Keller’s capability in winning higher-quality work from clients, and a Finance for Engineers programme, giving engineers context on how their decisions impact the company’s financial results. In addition, we launched a pilot using an e-learning platform for more than 150 participants, with good feedback. Further training courses are provided by the business units in local languages. Evaluations show that all the offerings have been well received by participants and have helped improve their skills.
North America
North America delivered two Foundations of Leadership programmes and two sessions of the Keller Counsellor Sales Process. The division also delivered three Field Leader Fundamentals programmes and is concluding an effort to deliver a new Project Manager Fundamentals programme, replacing earlier programmes that were no longer aligned with divisional needs.
The Learning and Development team in North America supported training for both small and large diameter drillers and launched a new virtual curriculum for new people managers. The team provided design and delivery support to several key e-learning and compliance training initiatives and expanded its facilitation of team-building sessions featuring the DiSC model with leadership teams across the division.
Emerging talent
Finding and retaining top talent remains a cornerstone of our People Strategy. In Q4 2025, North America hosted its first NextGen Construction Summit, marking a major step forward in engaging emerging talent. More than 600 students expressed interest, with 75 juniors and seniors selected to attend from construction management, civil engineering and environmental engineering programmes.
The summit showcased Keller as an employer of choice and included hands-on experiences such as a Keller Gives Back project, where students built 15 prosthetic hands for donation. The event generated strong feedback and resulted in several participants joining Keller, setting a new benchmark for early-career engagement.
Beyond recruitment, North America continued to invest in development through technical, leadership and people manager programmes, supported by mentorship, high-potential development and participation in the Strategic Leadership Blueprint. The Pitcairn Scholarship also supported continued education, with one internal and one external award made in 2025.
Across APAC, early-career development remained a priority. Australia expanded its structured two-year graduate programme and strengthened supervisor pipelines through funded traineeships and targeted pathways. India continued to onboard graduate engineers across engineering, operations and business development, supported by cross-business exchanges and international secondments to build future capability across the region.
Global product teams
Keller’s global product teams focus on sharing improvements, innovative solutions and product-specific knowledge around the world through the delivery of a monthly educational webcast and in-person events. Regularly collaborating with experts across Keller enables us to discuss and progress specific technical topics in detail, making sure our skills and offering is safe, economical, sustainable and offers market-leading technologies to our customers.
Geotechnical community
In addition to upskilling and providing learning opportunities to our workforce, Keller proactively supports the future skills agenda for the geotechnical industry. Our businesses take a leadership role by providing employees, customers, suppliers and potential employees with technical papers, seminars, field trips and site visits.
Keller employees maintain close contact with tier 1 universities to share best practice and undertake research projects to develop new and innovative products, materials and design approaches. This enables us to be at the forefront of technical advancements and allows us to position ourselves as the employer of choice in our industry.
Case study
Engineer development programme
After a successful pilot, Keller North America’s field engineer/project engineer development programme has been expanded to give more ambitious entry-level engineers a clear path to career advancement.
The two-year programme – believed to be the largest entry-level training course run by any US geotechnical contractor – is designed to build technical expertise, strengthen leadership skills and prepare engineers for the next step in their career.
Throughout the course, engineers build core competencies in areas such as project execution and site operations, geotechnical fundamentals, estimating and cost control, risk management and safety, and leadership and communication.
New field and project engineers are automatically enrolled on the programme and follow a structured learning path with e-learning modules coupled with on-site training. Each participant is supported by a more experienced engineer and also learns about other critical areas such as project management, design and HSEQ.
Towards the end of the programme, engineers will explore their next career step, which could be a promotion to assistant project manager, a chance to specialise in a certain area or move into a field leadership role.
An advantage for Keller and our people
First piloted in Keller North America's South Central Business Unit, the development programme was led by a strong partnership between engineering/project management and human resources.
“Field and project engineers play a critical role in our business and are often the starting point for careers in geotechnical engineering,” says Joe Cavey, Vice President Contracts Management. “Part of the programme places emphasis on making sure engineers are exposed to as many techniques as possible and experience the most well-rounded, hands-on training we can provide.
“From there, we see our young engineers grow into leaders who make a significant impact across the organisation. By setting employees up for success from day one, we create an advantage for both Keller and our people.”
Shannon Price, Senior HR Business Partner, says the programme helps Keller North America recruit and retain the best young engineers.
“The development programme is an investment in our employees’ careers and in giving them the tools they need to succeed. From a recruitment standpoint, it shows that Keller values development and understands what it takes to grow talent. From a retention perspective, it creates a built-in support system by connecting peers in similar roles with experienced mentors who can help navigate challenges and celebrate wins along the way.”
The development programme was recently adopted by North Pacific. Further expansion across the division is being explored.
Field and project engineers play a critical role in our business. By setting them up for success from day one, we create an advantage for both Keller and our people.”
Vice President Contracts Management