Pioneering Future Talent in the Defense Sector

At the recent World Defense Show 2024, Jason Monahan, Vice President and General Manager of General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Canada, advised an elite audience of defense industry experts, on the importance of attracting, retaining, and developing the next generation of leaders in the defense sector, and offered proven solutions to do so. 

Attracting and retaining talent is one of the industry’s greatest challenges. At World Defense Show 2024’s Future Talent day, Jason Monahan, Vice President and General Manager of General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Canada, shared with an industry audience his experiences and insights on cultivating critical talent pipelines in both North America and Saudi Arabia. His keynote address emphasized the importance of attracting, retaining, and developing the next generation of leaders in the defense sector, offering insight on GDLS’s proven approaches, the company’s strategic focus and the broader goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Building a Robust Talent Pipeline

Monahan highlighted the significance of GDLS’s efforts in Saudi Arabia, where the company has grown to 200 employees, with over 90% being Saudi nationals and a significant portion of the local leadership team being female. “Saudi Arabia is by far our most important international market,” Monahan noted, citing the operation of over 2,000 Abrams tanks and light armored vehicles (LAVs) with Saudi customers, and the recent joint venture with Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) to upgrade the Ministry of National Guard’s fleet of LAVs. That project alone is expected to create over 350 new jobs in Saudi Arabia. Monahan said: “Our main requirements are not just welders, mechanics and engineers, but also finance, human resources and supply chain professionals.”

To meet these staffing needs, GDLS planned to leverage the opportunity presented by the WDS Future Talent Day, conducting speed interviews with hundreds of the several thousand Saudi students attending the event.

Monahan elaborated on the company’s strategy to create a pipeline of critical talent, one that aligned with the dynamic skills required in the defense industry today and the goals of Vision 2030. “Our industry is changing quickly; the skills that were required 15 or even 5 years ago are not the skills we require today,” he explained.

“We have seen a shift in focus away from manufacturing hardware to providing software driven solutions. At GDLS our latest LAVs have so much software, sensors and cyber protection, that our customers refer to them as fighter aircraft on wheels. These rapid advances in technology require us to recruit employees with specialized skills in areas like artificial intelligence and software, and for those of us in defense we have to compete against commercial technology and software companies to grab that critical talent for our businesses.”

Innovative Talent Development Strategies

Monahan acknowledged the traditional tools, such as internships and scholarships, but also shared several innovative tools that GDLS employs to attract and develop talent.

One initiative, with multiple benefits, is the continuous development of close relationships with local colleges and universities. Monahan said: “Each year at GDLS, we spend tens of millions of dollars of our own money on internal research and development, or IRAD, trying to anticipate the needs of our customers by developing new technologies and solutions. Each year an increasing percentage of our IRAD spend goes to local colleges and universities, where our engineers work side-by-side with young students – either creating brand new technologies for the defense sector or exploring emerging commercial technologies and their applicability to defense. GDLS benefits from this diversity of experience and diversity of thinking, and we create relationships with some of the brightest young minds in academia.”

In Saudi Arabia, GDLS is working very closely with GAMI, SAMI and the General Authority for Defense Development to do the same thing, engaging with local universities such as King Abdulaziz University, Princess Nora University, and King Abdullah University for Science and Technology. These partnerships aim to generate new intellectual property and support Vision 2030.

Additionally, GDLS has implemented a successful micro-credentialing program, particularly in the area of ballistic steel welding. Monahan explained the challenge: “For every 10 welders that apply for a job at GDLS, only one is able to pass our test. We believe that this focus on quality is part of our secret sauce, and it’s what makes our products so special, but it makes it extremely difficult for us to hire the welders that we need. Especially at times when we need to ramp up very quickly.” To address this, GDLS has partnered with a local university to create a specialized training program, enabling top students to earn a micro credential in ballistic steel welding.

He explained: “Essentially, we pick the top 10% of students in each class and invite them to come to our factory, at no cost, where our welders will train them in the art of ballistic steel welding. When those students finish their training and graduate from college they leave with a certificate. And then when they apply for a job at GDLS we can hire them immediately, because we know that they meet our very high standards. Even when they don’t join us at GDLS, we believe we benefit, because those trained welders many times go to our suppliers.

“We view this as a win, win, win situation. A win for GDLS, a win for the students we train, and a win for our suppliers and the wider defense space,” he added.

Attracting and Retaining Critical Talent

While acknowledging that the defense and aerospace industry can inspire passion, Monahan also emphasized the need to broaden the talent pool. “We can’t take for granted that all the students that we interview for jobs share that same passion that we have for defense and aerospace, so when we’re looking for that critical talent to join our companies, we need to widen our aperture as broadly as possible.”

That includes candidates who have no prior experience in defense and aerospace. Instead, he advised focusing on skills-based hiring, valuing character and the desire to learn over industry experience, adding: “Look for candidates from other industries who can bring that diversity of thought and experience to your own organizations.”

This approach is particularly relevant in Saudi Arabia, where a significant portion of the population is under 35 years old, and Generation Z comprises a large segment of the workforce.

Understanding the unique characteristics of Generation Z, those individuals born in the mid-1990s to the early-2010s, is crucial for retention. Monahan cited studies indicating that Gen Z employees are more likely to change jobs frequently, with the average Gen Z employee switching jobs ten times before the age of 35. In the kingdom, 18% of the population, or 13 million people, fall within this demographic.

To address this, Monahan emphasized the importance of understanding and meeting the non-financial needs of young employees. He explained: ” What I have discovered is that all generations of employees, but especially the younger generation, truly care about the why of their jobs now. Of course, a good salary and good benefits are always important, but for these younger generations, it’s not necessarily the most important thing. They care about non-financial factors, like company culture, recognition, opportunities to serve their local community, and, most importantly, a feeling of mission and purpose. That always tops the list.”

“At GDLS, we always reinforce the message that each of our employees has an important mission,” Monahan said. He shared his experience of relating to employees a poignant story of how a GDLS vehicle protected Ukrainian soldiers from a mine explosion, highlighting the life-saving impact of their work, saying: “The sense of pride they felt in keeping those soldiers safe and alive was unlike anything I had ever seen before.”

He concluded with some final advice which he felt is key to attracting and retaining young talent in the sector: “For those of us in the defense industry, our goal for all of our young employees, and for our young employees here in Saudi Arabia, is to ensure they understand our mission. We need to make sure they feel proud about keeping their homeland safe and secure. We need to make sure they feel proud about supporting the Saudi Vision 2030 and securing the possible prosperity of their and their families for the future.”

For the select audience attending, World Defense Show again proved its premier position as a central hub for collaboration, discussion and innovation, offering expert insight into every aspect of the industry, and providing practical opportunities for leading players to find the young talent they need to maintain the industry’s growth and development.

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