Recruiting

The United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that by the year 2020 (five short years away!), growth in the HVACR industry will increase by 34.4% – compared to 14.3% for the 300 other occupations the BLS tracks!! In addition, the BLS estimates that another 31.2% of the industry workforce (i.e., baby boomers) will retire and need to be replaced. These projections could have serious implications for your company, your workforce, your productivity and success if you do not take steps now to hire and train service technicians.

In a recent MSCA survey, 85% of responding companies indicated that they will need to hire one to five new technicians within the year; 87% of companies indicated that they will need to hire one to 15 new technicians within the next 5 years and 63% of companies project that they will need to hire six to 30 additional technicians within the next 10 years! These are significant numbers and, keep in mind, these results only represent MSCA members. Open shop contractors, other technical trades, equipment manufacturers, and facility owners will all be competing for “qualified” technicians and those individuals who have the aptitude for and desire to be in the trades. Currently UA apprenticeship programs for service technicians are just beginning to gear up again after the 2008 recession when many programs took in very few new apprentices – and even with the current growth in apprenticeship numbers, those UA-trained technicians will only represent a small percentage of the number needed for the continued growth of our industry and to replace retiring workers.

And it is not simply a matter of hiring a new technician to replace a retiring one. The majority of technicians that will be retiring from the industry in the near future have probably been in the industry thirty to forty years. Their accumulated “brain power” and expertise, not to mention their familiarity with your company and your customers, is not something that can be replaced overnight. It took them years and years to attain their current levels of proficiency and it will take new hires years and years to amass at least a portion of that knowledge and experience. This new generation of workers is also less likely to dedicate their entire working life to one company but will be more apt to change employers numerous times over their careers.

But the outlook is not all doom and gloom if you start preparing now for future manpower needs. Over the next several months we will focus on:

• The many benefits of a career in the HVACR/plumbing industry
• Partnering with technical training schools
• Finding the “Perfect” recruit
• “Selling” parents and guidance counselors
• Successful “model” recruiting programs around the nation
• Training Tools and Programs

Your service business is growing. There are more opportunities than ever for mechanical service contractors in energy services, facility operations, plumbing service, building automation, etc. Eighty five percent of all buildings that will exist in urban areas in 2030, exist today! Our growth potential is unlimited except for the fact that to keep up with these expanding opportunities, we need a constant stream of new, qualified manpower to perform this work. We can no longer rely on traditional methods of recruitment to attain these new employees but must develop our own strategies and procedures for on-going recruitment.

UA apprenticeship programs are a great resource for hiring entry level employees. However, many apprentice programs are not training specifically for service and, in the very near future (if not already), these apprenticeship programs will be unable to keep up with the demand for new hires. In addition, in order to meet customer demand and operate at a competitive rate, contractors need to employ a range of employee classifications beyond the traditional apprentice/journeyman classifications. Servicemen are essential if contractors hope to remain competitive in the light commercial/packaged equipment market as these employees work at a 50 – 80% of journeyman scale and with reduced benefits. Tradesmen are needed for routine maintenance work, systems operation, residential work, truck driving and other less technical tasks. As contractors, it is essential that you take the lead and pursue and hire these varying employee types and integrate them into your business operations.

Service companies are unique in another aspect too which separates them from their mechanical contractor counterparts and reinforces the need to undertake your own hiring. Most good service employees become part of your “business family” and remain with your organization for a long period of time. Successful service companies create their own “team” which includes employees that understand your company procedures and policies; feel like they are being appreciated and recognized for the work they are performing, are loyal to your company and fellow “teammates,” and understand they are representing your company. This feeling of “family” among service company employees makes it essential that you are actively involved in the selection and hiring of appropriate individuals to ensure their long-term allegiance and dedication. Oftentimes it may be more important to hire solely for attitude and compatibility with the skills training to come later. Plus it is more than likely that you will be investing a great deal of resources into these new hires – in terms of tools, equipment, service vehicles, TRAINING, etc. and you want to be certain that this is a long term investment.

Let’s face it, qualified, talented HVACR and plumbing service technicians available for hire are a rare commodity. It is extremely unlikely that an experienced technician is not already fully employed, and certainly rare to find one at the union hall. So, what do you do? Unless you are able to steal one away from an open-shop contractor, you need to plan ahead and start grooming a new workforce long before the expertise is needed.

What types of individuals make good technicians? Certainly one who is motivated to be in our industry and sees the potential opportunities if he/she works hard and stays committed. A positive attitude is an excellent trait for anyone you plan to hire, whether they currently have the technical skills or not. Since service technicians frequently work independently and are not part of a daily crew, someone that is self motivated and dependable is apt to be more successful. Individuals who are curious, interested in learning how things work, and ask a lot of questions will most likely have an easier time grasping the specific technical knowledge required to excel in the HVACR and plumbing field. A teenager who likes to spend time tinkering with a car engine or gets involved with science fairs would be more apt to quickly grasp the complexities of how a refrigeration system works and relish the challenge. Again, those with an innate mechanical aptitude can be taught the specific skills required in our industry.

Potential recruits should also have good communication skills. You may wonder why this is important since they will just be working on equipment all day. However, keep in mind that service technicians are also the frontline contact with your customer. They need to be able to ask the right questions to determine what issues building owner and tenants are having with their facility’s environment, address customer concerns in a calm and clear manner, and concisely communicate back to the office the situation they are dealing with and how they are remedying the issue. Oftentimes, this is not done through text messages or e-mails, which is the preferred communication style of today’s younger generation, but through face-to-face discussions or phone conversations. Remember, your service technicians represent your company, and are often the only company employee your customers will ever see on a routine basis.

It is also important for potential recruits to have a strong academic background in certain areas to better prepare them for work in the field. Not to say they must be “A” students, but an understanding of these academic courses and preliminary experience will be very helpful to them and you moving forward. Look for candidates with coursework in:

• Math (algebra and geometry)
• Mechanical drawing
• Science (physics and chemistry)
• Computer science/Computer-aided design
• Electronics
• General business (sales and marketing)

Developing a top-of-the-line service technician requires a long-term investment and years of training and experience. Whether they start out as a tradesman or a summer intern, go through the apprenticeship program or learn through on-the-job training, finding that “perfect recruit” initially will help ensure future success and an enduring relationship with your company. Mechanical skills are important, but can be taught. Attitude, motivation, curiosity, and dependability are innate characteristics that cannot be learned but are often the most important to possess.

Whether you have an immediate need for qualified or entry-level service technicians or are anticipating future needs, it is important to develop a strategy now for finding and recruiting these employees. Although your local UA hiring hall should be the first place you check for potential recruits, it is unlikely you will find available service technicians there. So now where do you look?

Local technical training schools can be a great resource for discovering potential entry-level employees. Many technical training schools have HVAC degree programs which provide students with basic courses in mechanical systems, electricity, blueprint reading, refrigeration, etc., in both classroom and field settings. In addition students often learn basic customer service and business skills – such as the importance of showing up on time and presenting themselves in a clean respectable manner. Probably the single greatest benefit for considering these students is that they want to be in our industry and have an understanding of the industry. They have already made an investment of time and money, often spending thousands of dollars to enroll in these schools, and have demonstrated a commitment to our industry. It will be well worth your time to get involved with these schools. Technical training schools are always looking for business partners to mentor students, serve on advisory boards and participant in classroom programs. A primary goal of the school is to place these students in jobs once they graduate. By getting involved and building a relationship with the program, you will have a great advantage in recruiting the top students.

How do you find out about these schools and which ones are offering the best programs? HVAC Excellence is an organization that works closely with MSCA. Since 1999, HVAC Excellence has accredited HVACR training programs in the United States. This programmatic accreditation provides independent third party review of an HVACR educational program to ensure it meets established standards of excellence for such programs. Such standards are designed to assure that our future workforce receives the quality of training required to provide the skills necessary for success in the HVACR industry. A list of accredited HVAC Excellence accredited schools can be found at the ESCO Institute’s website.

In addition, students graduating from an HVAC Excellence accredited program can take advantage of an Articulation Agreement that HVAC Excellence has established with the UA. This Agreement provides the graduate with credit for courses already completed and direct entry into a UA apprenticeship program in the appropriate year – i.e., they can begin an apprenticeship in year two or three and not necessarily year one. This is often an additional incentive to the graduate to come work for you. Remember, the UA has developed some excellent recruitment videos specifically for the HVAC industry. These are available to you from the UA website or by downloading the app (Search for UA Training in the Apple or Android store).