ACE can confirm that the Construction Talent Retention Scheme, which helps talented individuals showcase their experience and expertise, while helping businesses find the skills they need, will remain free to use until at least April 2022.

The news comes as the Construction Leadership Council has confirmed its ongoing development, including a TalentView early careers offering to support the attraction of new talent into the construction industry, as outlined in the CLC’s Industry Skills Plan for construction.

To date, the TRS has promoted more than 8,675 vacancies and has supported many larger organisations with internal redeployment programmes. In all, the platform is estimated to have saved nearly half a million pounds in recruitment costs (£485,000).

A number of ACE members are already using the platform including AECOM. BWB and Costain. In all, three-quarters of the businesses signed up to the CTRS are SMEs. Find out more about the scheme on our dedicated page.

Commenting on the extension, Gareth Drought (Tony Gee), chair of ACE’s HR Forum said: “Members looking for a cost-effective way to advertise new roles, or find the new skills they are looking for, are encouraged to explore the potential of the Talent Retention Scheme.

“Using the platform is win-win for all involved – as well as reducing the potential for a serious talent-drain to other sectors, it provides businesses with a free recruitment platform with access to thousands of candidates with relevant experience.”

Sarah Walker, HR Director at BWB Consulting said: “We immediately recognised it was a massive opportunity for us as a business and, more importantly, for those many more individuals out there who may find themselves out of work due to the pandemic. The scheme is vastly attuned to our industry and is another valuable platform to aid candidates’ job-hunting.

Michaela Poust, Head of Recruitment, Costain, says: "Sometimes we don’t always have a clear job description to hand, which means it’s not uncommon for us to hire somebody based on their capabilities and ability to do the work. The portal enables us to scour the breadth and depth of talent within the industry and potentially create roles based on the available skillset."

Dan Flifel, Head of Talent Acquisition, Europe, AECOM said: “The CTRS plays a valuable role of linking people within the construction industry. It offers a holistic mechanism to retain and grow the skills in our sector while also helping to break down the silos that can exist in the industry between clients, contractors and consultants.”

Download the flyers below for more, or find out more on our dedicated page.