Employer Partnerships with Skillsforce
Build a Future-Ready Workforce with Skillsforce
Skilled trades hiring keeps getting harder while project pipelines keep getting bigger. We work alongside employers in construction, energy, facilities and utilities to source, train, deploy and retain the crews those projects depend on.
Four ways to partner
Used on their own or combined. Most employers start with one urgent gap and grow from there.
- Workforce Deployment
- Apprenticeship & Training Programs
- Upskilling & Certifications
- Strategic Workforce Planning
The case for partnering
Why Partner with Us?
Staffing fills a seat. A partnership changes what your workforce is capable of twelve months from now. These are the four things employers tell us make the difference.
Access to job-ready, screened talent
Every candidate is screened, safety-oriented and trained against the standards your sites and systems already run on, so onboarding starts at competence instead of starting at zero.
Training built around your operation
Curriculum, certifications and assessments are shaped with your own supervisors, so what people learn in the classroom maps directly to the work waiting for them in the field.
A pipeline that holds through demand swings
Cohorts are planned against your hiring peaks rather than after them, so you are not bidding for the same scarce crews at the same moment as every contractor around you.
One partnership team, start to finish
A named partnership lead coordinates sourcing, training, placement and post-placement follow-up, so you are managing one relationship rather than four separate vendors.
Skillsforce goes beyond staffing—we partner with employers to build sustainable, long-term workforce solutions.
Employer categories
Who Should Partner With Us?
If your work depends on skilled hands and certified crews, there is a partnership model here for you. These are the employers we build workforce programmes with.
Construction trades
General and specialty contractors staffing skilled crews across active builds.
- Carpentry and framing
- Concrete and formwork
- Mechanical and plumbing
- Electrical fit-out
Renewable energy & electrification
Developers and installers scaling crews as projects move from pipeline to construction.
- Solar installation
- Battery storage
- EV charging infrastructure
- Building electrification
Facility & property management
Operators keeping buildings running with in-house technical teams.
- Building engineering
- HVAC and controls
- Preventive maintenance
- Multi-site operations
Utilities & energy providers
Providers replacing retiring craft workers and modernising field operations.
- Line work
- Substation technicians
- Metering and AMI
- Field service crews
Workforce development organisations
Partners who place people into the trades and want employer demand attached to their programmes.
- Training providers
- Labour unions
- Community colleges
- Regional workforce boards
Not sure where you fit?
Most partnerships start with a conversation about the roles you cannot fill. Tell us what those are and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Talk to our partnerships team
Partnership models
How We Partner with Employers
Four models, used on their own or combined. Most employers begin with one urgent gap and grow the partnership from there.
| Partnership model | How It Works | Benefits for Employers |
|---|---|---|
| Workforce Deployment | Skillsforce sources, screens and deploys qualified workers into your open roles, matched to the trade, certification level and site requirements you specify. | Roles are filled with people who can work safely from day one, without your team absorbing the sourcing, screening and credential-checking load. |
| Apprenticeship & Training Programs | We build and run apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship tracks alongside your supervisors, pairing classroom instruction with supervised on-the-job hours on your equipment. | A steady intake of apprentices trained to your standards, who stay longer because they were developed into the role rather than dropped into it. |
| Upskilling & Certifications | Existing employees move through targeted certification and skills courses, delivered on a schedule built around your shift patterns and project calendar. | Crews take on higher-value scopes, compliance requirements stay met, and promotions come from inside the business instead of from another external hire. |
| Strategic Workforce Planning | We map projected headcount against your project pipeline, retirements and skills gaps, then build a multi-year sourcing and training plan against that forecast. | Hiring stops being reactive. You know which roles you need, when you need them and where they are coming from, well before the contract is signed. |
Workforce Deployment
- How It Works
- Skillsforce sources, screens and deploys qualified workers into your open roles, matched to the trade, certification level and site requirements you specify.
- Benefits for Employers
- Roles are filled with people who can work safely from day one, without your team absorbing the sourcing, screening and credential-checking load.
Apprenticeship & Training Programs
- How It Works
- We build and run apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship tracks alongside your supervisors, pairing classroom instruction with supervised on-the-job hours on your equipment.
- Benefits for Employers
- A steady intake of apprentices trained to your standards, who stay longer because they were developed into the role rather than dropped into it.
Upskilling & Certifications
- How It Works
- Existing employees move through targeted certification and skills courses, delivered on a schedule built around your shift patterns and project calendar.
- Benefits for Employers
- Crews take on higher-value scopes, compliance requirements stay met, and promotions come from inside the business instead of from another external hire.
Strategic Workforce Planning
- How It Works
- We map projected headcount against your project pipeline, retirements and skills gaps, then build a multi-year sourcing and training plan against that forecast.
- Benefits for Employers
- Hiring stops being reactive. You know which roles you need, when you need them and where they are coming from, well before the contract is signed.
Proof in the field
Case Studies & Employer Testimonials
What partnership looks like once it is running, in the words of the employers running it with us.
We had crews to staff across three substation upgrades and no realistic way to hire against them on that timeline. Skillsforce built the intake with us, and the first cohort was working on site inside the quarter.
— NorthPoint EnergySubstation upgrade programme The difference is that they stayed involved after the placements were made. Six months on we are still working the same plan together, and retention on those roles is the strongest it has been for us.
— GreenGrid UtilitiesField service workforce planning
Want to see more success stories? Contact us to learn how we’ve helped businesses like yours.
Contact usThree ways to start
Take the Next Step: Become an Employer Partner
Whichever route you take, a partnership lead reads it and comes back to you directly.
Join Our Employer Network
Tell us about your roles, your timeline and the partnership models you are interested in. We will come back with a shortlist of options built around your hiring plan.
Start your inquirySchedule a Partnership Consultation
Book a working session with a partnership lead to walk through your workforce gaps, your project pipeline and what a first cohort would realistically look like.
Book a sessionDownload Our Employer Partnership Guide
A practical breakdown of each partnership model, what employers commit to, how programmes are stood up, and the questions worth settling before you begin.
Get the guide
Start the conversation
Get in Touch Today!
Tell us who you are and what you are trying to staff. We will come back with the partnership models that fit, and an honest view of what is realistic on your timeline.
- A partnership lead reads every inquiry personally.
- We reply with the models that actually fit your roles.
- No obligation, and no automated sales sequence.
Ready to move faster?
Send a full partnership inquiry with your timeline and preferred models, or book a consultation directly.
