Careers in Timber Engineering

A campaign to promote careers in timber engineering in the UK and Ireland on behalf of the TRA.
A woman in a dark polka dot jacket sits at a desk with multiple monitors displaying architectural designs and technical drawings of timber structures.
A collaborative campaign to tackle an industry's skills gaps
users
New resources to boost recruitment across many roles
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The Trussed Rafter Association (TRA) represents the trussed rafter and metal web joist industry in the UK and Ireland. It provides expert advice and technical information to designers and builders about product design, specification and installation, health and safety guidance, and support for the safe construction of roofs and floors, and delivers training and qualifications for timber engineering professionals.

Challenge

Against a continued backdrop of skills shortages in all parts of the construction industry, the TRA was looking for new ways to engage its members in the UK and Ireland and to help them in their efforts to attract new talent into the industry, including a wide range of technical, manufacturing, sales and management roles.
A woman with long dark hair wearing a black polka dot blouse points at a computer monitor displaying architectural or structural design plans while a man in a purple shirt observes. They are in an office setting with another person visible in the background.

Strategy

LMC developed the 'Careers in Timber Engineering' campaign, with an online toolkit of resources that TRA members could use to support their own recruitment activities. We created lealets that could be white labelled with members' own logos, a schools presentation and script, social media text and graphics for use across multiple channels, recruitment videos tailored for the UK and Ireland, advice and signposts to free recruitment support, sample press releases and multiple other marketing resources.

At the same time, LMC helped the TRA to launch a new qualification, the Designer Development Programme - a training initiative that helps designers prove their competence in designing trussed rafters and metal web joists.
A recruitment poster featuring three photographs of professionals in workplace settings, with text reading "JOIN OUR TEAM..." and "Consider a career in timber engineering." Contact information directs viewers to www.tra.org.uk/careers for more details.
A promotional collage for timber engineering careers featuring wooden roof truss construction, a smiling worker in safety gear, and someone using a tablet on a construction site, with the TRA logo and "Are you up for the challenge? Consider a career in timber engineering" text.

Results

More than 430 uses of the Careers in Timber Engineering toolkit to date
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More than 1,300 views so far of TRA's careers videos on YouTube
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