Isaac Construction

‘Hitting the books’embedded in Isaac Construction’s culture

If there’s one thing Isaac Construction understands well it’s that premium construction products and services can’t be delivered without having well trained and qualified staff.

This mantra has seen Christchurch’s Isaac Construction excel in its core business of civil construction and drainage, bituminous surfacing, transport, quarrying, professional contract management and civil laboratory services.

Ninety-five percent of Isaac Construction’s 210 staff undertake some form of training in any given calendar year. This includes basic competencies like first aid, confined spaces and traffic management; as well as staff being actively encouraged to go for additional drivers’ licences and endorsements.

Isaac Construction widely encourages and assists its staff in gaining recognised qualifications including trade certificates and, in some cases, postgraduate tertiary study. There’s no question this is a win-win situation – the company lifts its human capital while staff benefit from enhanced work performance and career opportunities.

At the moment, for example, a number of team members are working towards formal qualifications in first line management, pavement surfacing, infrastructure pipe laying, water reticulation, civil plant operation, infrastructure works, infrastructure works supervision, quarry plant operation and site management.

Other more theoretical courses being undertaken include accounting for non accountants, erosion and sediment control, tendering for projects, successful project management, Telarc signing accreditation for laboratory testing, understanding NZS3910:2013 conditions of contract, survey and set out, drainage construction and environmental risks of construction.

Isaac Construction is serious about growing and futureproofing the construction industry. One way it does this is by providing entry level graduate opportunities – offering training in partnership with, among others, the New Zealand Institute of Management and New Zealand Institute of Highway Technology.

Another important way the company fosters talent is by undertaking first line management training to prepare field staff for promotion to foremen and senior supervisory and management roles.

It’s no secret that construction can be a risky business from a health and safety perspective. Isaac Construction is well aware of this and takes extra care to make sure staff know how to safely operate all manner of machinery and equipment. As well as this, surfacing staff are schooled in basic bitumen safety and there’s an in-house cable strike prevention programme, delivered electronically.

For those who need it, the strands of Isaac Construction’s suite of training initiatives are knitted together with specific courses aimed at helping staff improve their communication skills. This helps those who need it to undertake the literacy

components of trade qualifications. These courses, by the way, are extremely well credentialled – having been developed with the assistance of the Tertiary Education Commission and Leadership Development New Zealand.

One of the many positive side effects of Isaac Construction’s focus on training (especially personal development initiatives) is “greater [staff] engagement and a willingness to ask questions and voice opinions”.

The company has also noticed a pronounced lift in the number of staff proactively asking for more opportunities to undertake training in all forms.

It’s plain to see that Isaac Construction is experiencing a myriad of tangible benefits by positioning training as a strategic imperative. Not only is the company investing in its own future, it’s helping to lay the foundations for an overall more robust and successful New Zealand construction industry. l