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
Keller’s ability to deliver its business strategy depends on employees with relevant skills, knowledge and experience. Our Group-wide learning and development programmes promote a culture that empowers our people to drive innovation and focus on Keller’s principal activities of winning and executing work on behalf of clients.
AMEA continued to focus on upskilling leadership teams to achieve higher levels of performance. In 2023, business unit leadership training sessions were held which focused on competencies for senior managers. These were supplemented with modules focused on specific skills including Conflict Management, Conducting Performance Appraisals and Having Difficult Conversations.
To build on the Conscious Leadership programme which was deployed in 2022, the division designed a new Courageous Leadership programme to empower leaders to navigate challenges, make tough decisions, and inspire their teams in the face of adversity. Project Manager Academy sessions and Project Management workshops were provided throughout the year to upskill teams and equip them with the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to effectively plan, execute and oversee projects. Technical, safety and operational training continued be delivered for Operational teams. Sustainability, mental health and wellbeing training programmes and workshops were delivered to educate and support colleagues across the division.
Our Europe Division delivered a range of Keller Academy training programmes including a two-week training session for senior leaders, and an entry-level leadership training programme. Keller’s Counsellor Sales Process, which seeks to increase Keller’s capability in winning higher quality work from clients, was executed. A Geotechnical Construction Project Management Training programme is under development with a planned pilot mid-2024. Work to enhance Commercial Training is being developed and will be introduced in 2024.
Further training courses are provided through the European Learning Management Platform and 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 established a Learning and Development Steering Committee, who have supported efforts to identify high priority learning requirements and to communicate availability of targeted learning resources to meet those needs. In partnership with Engineering and Marketing, the Learning and Development team launched the Technique Training Library, designed to help technical talent learn more about the various geotechnical techniques that the organisation delivers on.
In 2023, the division delivered two Foundations of Leadership programmes, launched one Project Manager Academy and one Field Leader Academy. In addition, we are continuing to enhance and develop our Mentoring Program, investing time and development with Power BI for reporting on learning and development, engaged field leaders to grow and develop our training for field and field management, putting a large focus on identifying and developing our upcoming talent. North America has also developed an orientation video, which has been added to their onboarding programme.
Emerging talent
We are committed to developing our future talent pipeline of leaders and geotechnical specialists and continue to invest and equip our people with the skills and knowledge to drive the organisation forward with an ever-changing complex market.
Keller has continued to focus on bringing people into geotechnics from a wide range of backgrounds to ensure it has a healthy pipeline of skills for the future. We continue to cultivate relationships with key universities through technology platforms that allow us to engage with candidates earlier in the process; relationships with organisations such as Revolution Workshop have all provided us with diverse talent. During 2023, North America established a 6% increase overall for Asian hires for entry-level full-time engineers, interns and co-ops. The division also had a 3% increase in Black hires in 2023. A major factor in the increase is as a result of the division’s continued success at targeting and following through on DEI initiatives, having established employee resource groups that partner with recruiting, and enhancing our benefits to attract diverse employees around North America.
Keller India developed a geotechnical scholarship programme in partnership with Bhumi, whose aim is to drive social change through educational opportunities for young adults. The scholarship will empower 15 students with their postgraduate studies in geotechnical engineering.
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.
During 2023, we expanded our ways of working and collaborating with local global product teams and divisional product teams across all divisions. This enabled us to leverage global expertise to provide local solutions with excellence. Developing digital workflows and tools improved production processes and enables us to deliver work well and on time. With a strong commitment to sustainability, we continued to deploy electric rigs and source alternative products and solutions which are more aligned to our sustainability aspirations.
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.