Every HVAC manufacturer, distributor, and contractor is aware of the growing labor shortage within the skilled trades industries. Most have been working to combat the shortage by getting creative in recruitment efforts — much like Daikin Applied did at the 2019 AHR Expo.
From keeping up-to-date with technology to simply finding folks to lay the pipework, hydronics contractors face a unique subset of challenges within the HVAC industry. Learning to navigate the hurdles make the race to the bottom line smoother and much more profitable. The NEWS spoke with some industry experts to identify the top five challenges contractors face and the steps they should take to make sure nothing stands in their way when it comes to optimizing their workflow rate.
So with such an obvious demand for workers, why are kids choosing to enter other industries? Well, findings from the Electric & Gas Industries Association (EGIA) Foundation’s 2018 Industry Study "Bridging the HVAC Employment Gap" point to lack of awareness and poor reputation.
Along with the good news about a booming economy and low unemployment rates come challenges for manufacturers that are trying to hire skilled employees. The National Association of Manufacturers said about 500,000 manufacturing jobs are open, and many experts believe this is due to a severe skills gap.
Gov. John Kasich and the legislature targeted funding in the state capital budget to assist Ohio’s public universities, community colleges, and career technical centers in providing the most up-to-date education possible, part of an effort to provide a skilled workforce for in-demand jobs.
With the holiday season just around the corner, HVAC contractors can expect to be asked to support any number of charitable efforts. Maybe it’s the Girl Scouts, the Goodfellows, your church, your kid’s hockey league, the high school orchestra. Some contractors have reported getting up to a dozen requests a week.
The football coach stepped up recruiting. He worked incredibly hard and had “out-of-the-box” thinking to bring talented players to Ann Arbor. The results have followed.
Similarly, we’ve heard from all corners of the industry that we have a “workforce crisis” upon us as the aging baby boomers who staff this industry retire and no one is left to fill the jobs they leave. We are apparently helpless in the face of this looming crisis. What is a good business operator to do?
Home to the Architecture, Interior Design, Horticulture, Automotive Technology, Computer-Aided Design, Construction Management, Electro-Mechanical Technology, Electronics-Integrated Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Welding Technology, and HVACR programs, College of DuPage's LEED-certified Technical Education Center features two windmills and four solar panels on its roof to provide students with hands-on study of emerging wind/solar energy technologies.