Training the Next Generation of Skilled Trade Workers

In my nearly 30 years with Unistrut Midwest, I have performed in many different roles, including driver, warehouse manager, installation lead and project manager, and now fabrication project manager. While each of those roles has different priorities and responsibilities, they share one common challenge: staffing.  

Finding and maintaining a competent, dependable workforce is a significant hurdle for any industry reliant on skilled trade workers. To combat this, I have emphasized the importance of training in the hiring process.  

Boosting Skilled Labor Hiring Through Training 

Traditionally, hiring has occurred through online applications or word of mouth. But with the skilled labor shortage, that isn't always the most reliable way to find a qualified team member. Instead, our team is focusing on a training-to-job program designed for technical high school students and graduates.  

Instead of casting a wide net and hoping to find a candidate with the appropriate experience for our prefabrication or installation teams, we are going directly to students who are interested in the trades, want a reliable job upon graduation, and have some construction experience.  

We have teamed up with Marshall High School in Middletown, where students can enroll in their construction career program, among other specialties. After meeting some Marshall students at the ACI job fair, we hired five recent graduates to begin training. With their construction education from Marshall, these new hires are already well on their way to being qualified to work on our prefabrication or installation teams, but we also have a training program in place to give them the more specialized knowledge they need.

We are also in the process of bringing that specialized training to active students at another local technical high school. While the program is still in the works, the plan will be to provide Unistrut Midwest prefabrication and installation education and training to interested high school students, providing them with hands-on experience so that they can join the workforce immediately upon graduation. 

The Unistrut Midwest Training Room 

In order to provide a safe, contained training environment for students and new hires alike, we established the Unistrut Midwest training room. This dedicated training space was built to emulate various real-life project spaces, providing the opportunity to practice prefabrication and installation of both Unistrut and Sikla products. 

While this space was initially created with students in mind, it benefits the entire Unistrut Midwest team and our commitment to ongoing training. Newer installers can get more experience so that they can advance to a lead installation position, warehouse personnel use the space for heavy machinery training, and everyone uses the training room for quarterly safety meetings.

Carving out dedicated space for training allows us to create the workforce we need to meet the growing demands of our clients.

Retaining Skilled Workers 

Our commitment to training has been a great way to grow our team and to keep quality workers on board. We are a growing company and are always eager to help a team member get the experience they need in order to advance their career.

Our hope is that our dedication to preparing students for a successful career, plus our high company morale and competitive compensation, will continue to keep Unistrut Midwest a thriving partner for our customers. 

Do you know a student who is interested in specialized construction work? Contact us to discuss training opportunities.