I took notice when two skilled trades teachers in my home state of Wisconsin recently qualified as semifinalists for the 2019 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. The teachers and their programs to prepare students for a career in the trades stood to collect some of the $1 million in annual awards given by the hardware retailer.

The potential winnings could help Anthony Christian, a manufacturing teacher at Arrowhead Union High School, and David Kontz, an HVAC and welding teacher at Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education, promote the skills necessary to strengthen the country’s infrastructure and provide good jobs for many graduates.

Christian says his goal is to introduce students to potential workplaces, taking them on tours of local manufacturing plants, for example. The students then design and fabricate metal products — such as fire pits, rocket stoves and signs. He’s having success, with 90% of his students landing summer jobs in manufacturing.

A teacher for 42 years, Kontz has coordinated many mentorship programs with local trade unions and industries. Among other things, his HVAC class focuses on energy conservation using a “whole building” concept. Kontz also organizes student clubs and competitions related to the skills he teaches.

LET’S JOIN FORCES

We are in dire need of replenishing the workforce in areas such as manufacturing, plumbing and welding. The Harbor Freight program and others, such as the work that Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe does to promote the trades, are shedding light on the deep shortage of skilled workers in so many specialties that flourished just a generation or two ago.

Not so long ago, working with your hands was considered an honorable way to make a living and support a family. Now, in some circles (not among the Onsite Installer fraternity, of course) working as a welder or machine operator is seen as a letdown for a young person, and certainly not a career path to be proud of.

I recently read a poignant and sad story that illustrates the lack of respect given, specifically, to the men and women who work as onsite installers. In The Columbian newspaper of Vancouver, Washington, Pete Roberts, recounted this story from a job site:

“I was doing a septic tank inspection; there was this little boy, he was probably 5 or 6 years old. His mom says, ‘That’s why you want to go to school, to college, so you don’t have to do that.’ I chuckle because you know, it might be kind of a lowly job. But when you find jobs people don’t like, they happen to pay a little bit better.”

It’s shameful that anyone in the installing field should be looked down upon or made to feel bad for the work they do. That mom’s response to her child in earshot of the worker was irresponsible, condescending and downright nasty. What’s more, it’s ignorant. What installer Roberts knew, and what you realize also, is that a qualified and hardworking installer — especially one who puts his or her name on the equipment — is likely going to out-earn many college graduates.

MEET THE TEACHER

Like Harbor Freight on a broader level, we need to do things to counteract that mom’s wrong-headed message about working in the onsite installing trade. Could we band together as an industry and provide a similar monetary kick in the pants as a major retail store company? Maybe. Instilling an interest in young people to join this fantastic industry is certainly worthy of the investment.

We could have a long-term discussion among our trade associations, successful installing company owners and our product manufacturers about this type of lofty goal. But in the meantime, I have a few suggestions of how each of us can act locally to promote training programs in the skilled trades and bolster the image of onsite installing as a career to be proud of. And a lot of it can start with developing a relationship with your area high school skilled trades teachers.

Partner with educators
Reach out to your town’s tech ed teachers — we called them shop teachers in my day — and offer them a hand. Your real-world experience could be invaluable to their programs. Taking students from the classroom into the field can provide an enlightened viewpoint, showing them the joy and fulfillment you receive from working in the wastewater industry. 

Bring your kid to work day
Offer to host a class on one of your job sites. Demonstrate the equipment you and your crew use. Show them the growing role technology is playing in septic system design. Introduce them to your team, and encourage them to have one-on-one conversations about a career in onsite installing. Share with them the story of how you became involved in the trades, and answer all of their questions.

Offer scholarships
Meet with your high school teachers and nearest technical school administrators and propose starting a scholarship program in your family or your company’s name. It might be for $250, $500 or $1,000 a year; any amount can help a cash-strapped student down the path of learning a trade. See if you can structure the scholarship to go toward an area of study directly relating to the work you do — perhaps plumbing, machine operation, diesel mechanics. By organizing check presentations or meetings with recipients, you can develop rewarding relationships with the students. You may find rewarding mentorships or even find excellent future workers for your company through the scholarships.  

On-the-job training
Coordinating with a trades class, bring top students into the field to build an onsite system from start to finish. While they may not be able to operate your excavators, they can work alongside your operators to learn the capabilities of the latest machines. The students can review site plans with you, lay pipe and work with other materials, and, of course, grab a shovel and a wheelbarrow and get a little dirty. Building enthusiasm for the work depends on them seeing the fruits of their labor and the satisfaction of the customer.

Hire the best as summer interns
Work with the teachers to get the word out that you need summer helpers to round out your crew. Offer to speak to classes about what a helper’s job entails and the valuable experience student workers will receive working in the field. Pay these kids commensurate with the physical labor and skills they will develop on the job. Show them that even though the work is hard, it will be more helpful to them in the future that flipping burgers at a fast-food restaurant.

FILL THE PIPELINE

These days it seems like we’re losing quality installers to retirement every week. And the challenge I hear from the Onsite Installer community is not finding more work to keep the crew busy, but finding new crew members to keep up with an avalanche of work. Let’s do something about that. Start today by looking for ways to fill the pipeline with enthusiastic young people to take over and keep the decentralized wastewater industry moving forward.