We believe people are the only source of a sustainable competitive advantage and they are the key to our success. Our continued commitment to them — both on and off the job — is foundational to our corporate citizenship. Our people development strategy focuses on developing our employees to be successful contributors to their communities in parallel with their professional careers. Selectively, and as part of our community investment strategy, we invite non-employees to participate in these programs to enhance their leadership and other technical skills. Our objectives are:

• Enrich the employee lifecycle by aligning employee talents with business objectives.
• Strategically utilize all available programs, such as formal training, loaned executive program and board placements, to enhance individual development.
• Implement a specialized, ongoing recruitment and retention program aimed at engaging a talented and diverse workforce.

A “signature” program of people development is the Zachry School of Welding, a free public training and certification program offered in 2009 to attract new workers into the industrial construction industry, provide members of the community with quality skills training and introduce them to Zachry, and provide a source of additional labor resources for current and upcoming projects. Selected applicants attended training sessions on their own time for 14 to 16 weeks. Of 24 initial students, 14 successfully completed the program. Ten of these were placed on Zachry projects, and four were entered into our employee tracking system to maintain contact for future opportunities. The School of Welding was a win / win initiative that benefited individuals, the community and Zachry by increasing the number of skilled craft workers who put safety first and by fostering a sense of connection and loyalty among potential Zachry employees.