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SHIPYARD LABOR know when these individuals will be coming off their current valued employees.” assignments and available for mobilization to another client’s As business conditions change, so too, will the methods used yard. This technology, combined with our applicant tracking to attract, hire and retain quality personnel. The new business software that helps us manage and maintain constant contact model looks a little different, but the results speak volumes for with tens of thousands of other prescreened marine craft can- the yards and maritime entities moving that direction. Hence, didates in our various trade pipelines, gives us the power to a permanent shift to skilled, contingent labor may well be the attain greater ? ll-rate percentages on client orders — and with ‘new normal.’ That’s a good thing for everyone. marine-experienced craftsmen who more accurately meet skill-set needs of the clients we serve.”

For prospective employees, especially those who in the past may have been reluctant to consider contract work, the track- ing technology signals a new way to gain access to multiple job opportunities and the ability to work more days annually, gain more experience and ultimately, exposure to a better class of potential employers.

Reputable skilled trade staf? ng services have therefore seen a marked increase in activity as targeted clients – like domes- tic shipyards, for example – incur skyrocketing hiring costs and recognize that the quality of contract skilled labor has advanced substantially over the past decade or so. That’s, in part, a function of rigorous pre-screening and vetting by the staf? ng agencies themselves.

“The stigma of contingent craft employees as being inferior has been stamped out,” said Matt McClone, Tradesmen In- ternational vice president of workforce development. “Crafts- men recognize credible staf? ng services have stringent hiring procedures that have effectively sharpened the overall quality and reputation of the nation’s skilled contingent employee.

Our continued leadership, and ultimately our company brand, is reliant on our ability to consistently serve shipyards with safe, productive and highly skilled ? rst-class and second-class workers. And, at the same time, we take very good care of our www.maritimeprofessional.com Maritime Professional 63| | 50-63 Q3 MP2015.indd 63 9/18/2015 11:12:17 AM