Looking for help... Skilled trades...

-
Madmopars

Madmopars

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Messages
45
Reaction score
25
Location
Tucson AZ
We run a commercial HVAC company here in Tucson. We are not your typical HVAC company that only works on the smaller 5-ton and less mini-split kind of company. We work on chillers, boilers, pumps, cooling towers and pretty much all things HVAC from service to replacements to new construction. While there is no shortage of work there is definitely a shortage of skilled workers. This really should be of no surprise to anyone as it has been a topic of discussion with folks like Mike Rowe, Dave Ramsey and others. The question is, when will it improve? I've attempted to find skilled workers for awhile now with no luck. I think at this point anyone that's worth having is happily employed and or at least handsomely paid. In either case, the situation is still such that there is a notable shortage of workers. To dive deeper into this shortage, I'm seeing a generational gap. It appears as though the older skilled folks are retiring out and there is a clear gap in the age of the workforce in these trades. This is probably something we should have seen coming and sadly I think it's only going to get worse.

Has anyone found a way around this mess? If so, care to share words of wisdom?

At this point, unless I'm missing something in my hiring endeavors, my new plan is to find not so much someone skilled per se but rather someone who is mechanically inclined, has a desire to learn a skilled trade and perhaps most importantly, has integrity. I understand this is still a tall order but if I can find them, I'll be thrilled to teach them everything I know in hopes of doing my part to fix this train wreck. If anybody knows someone that fits the bill send them my way...
 
Yup. Even back in my high school days of the mid 80s guys like me that were into mechanical things were frowned upon. I was pushed into going into engineering which I didn't do. I was "told" I was going to the local community college for 2 years for "pre engineering" then to a major State college to major in "some kind of" engineering.
While going to school I found a job at a local dodge dealer that didn't give 2 $#1ts whether I had any kind of degree or anything.
When the classes I"had to take" conflicted with working, I chose work.
As far as HVAC I know enough to be dangerous and can usually get out of any bind i find myself in with a short phone call. But at 56 now I'm too old to be looking to swap fields
 
I was out of work during my son's high school days of '07-11 and the scorn was even worse if a kid wanted to do anything remotely "dirty".
I was fortunate to have a few friends who taught at a local career center during those years and I was occasionally brought into the auto shop (that teacher was a former co-worker of mine) as a "guest instructor" a day here, a couple days there.
No pay but it was a way out from looking at my same boring 4 walls.
I had gotten hurt "off the job" and so there was no such thing as "light duty" at my job.
While there at the career center it didn't take long to see what kids were from the farming areas and which were from the" yuppie " towns around.
The farm kids were always the ones willing to jump in and work while the yuppie kids wanted to be on their phone and hide down the hall by the vending machines. The farm kids were the ambitious ones that thought they could get more done in 2 hours a day than even a seasoned journeyman could possibly do in that time.
 
Just do what they do in the DMV area, call your local rent a laborer, they`ll send all the illegal Mexicans you could wish for. Must be cheaper than independent subs.
 
I took the whole HVAC program at our community college. One of the teachers was a gear head with a Hemi in his younger days, I enjoyed the sheetmetal bending to make ductwork. When it came time for the lab and wiring...not so much. I remember we went thru a bunch of start capacitors. However I wired them, they never dropped out after starting. Then came the field trip and the comment: you'll be working on a rooftop in the winter when the wind chill is 20 below and in an attic when it's 110 outside. That did it. I went in hardware/auto parts store/dealer sales and retired from a 22 year run of warehousing. Still putter with our furnace and A/C to keep it running. Good luck with your search!
 
mopar head said:
Just do what they do in the DMV area, call your local rent a laborer, they`ll send all the illegal Mexicans you could wish for. Must be cheaper than independent subs.
Click to expand...
How many freakin skilled fellas you see standing around looking and waiting for work at a fraction of there worth?

That’s one of the most silliest ideas I heard yet.

(OH - PS - that **** was funny as heck though!)
 
Reach out to the community colleges for interns. They have HVAC programs, and you can try them out, while they learn something (and get the Catch-22 experience they'll need later). You'll know the 'nopes' in a couple months to not renew for next semester and you hire the 'yeps'.

We're doing that in my field, data analytics, and we're batting about .333.

Admittedly, my wife teaches online, and it sounds like we've lost a generation.

Good luck!
 
I grew up in the state of Connecticut, where high school, trade schools were all over the state, in lots of cities.
I went to one, in the late 60's, and took up the industrial, machinist, trade.
In our senior year before graduation, they took us on "field trips" into lots of the factories to give you an idea of a place you would like to apply for a job upon graduation.
What an eye opening experience that turned out to be.
Having never been inside any of those factories before, just seeing them from street level, in the city that i lived in, what a shock those tours turned out to be.
Those decrepit factories were probably built during the early 1900's, and i remember being inside one of them that had dirt floors, believe it or not.
Well, i never went to work in those old factories, but got a job in a mom and pop, family owned, tool shop.
But that job turned out to be a production type of job, and i quickly got turned off about working in factories, the rest of my life.
Found out that it wasn't for me.
I decided to join the US Air Force, and became a jet aircraft mechanic, one and two engines, and was a crew chief on the F-4 Phantom's, and then a phased dock mechanic on the little T-37 trainers.
Manufacturing went away to overseas countries decades ago, and shut down lots of industrial factories, back in East coast states, so i never looked back in the type of job that i left, and wasn't really suited for.
 
Last edited:
I have been in the body/paint industry now since I got out of high school. A friend I met at vocational school always said... just wait... one of these days they'll finally have to pay us.... and it's now. There is such a lack of body technicians it's not even funny. I believe last I checked there were 35k vacant positions in the US.

Everyone always says "these kids just don't want to work"... and I say, do you blame them? There is a strong chance I will die from work related cancer, I'm 43 and my back is completely destroyed, both of my rotator cuffs are torn, and I can barely lift my arms above my head. While I have always enjoyed "working" and working hard... I can honestly say I do fully understand why nobody wants to do this ****...

My best friends daughter and her boyfriend live in his basement... they are currently looking to buy their first house... the boyfriend designed a "bot" app for basketball shoe sales... and makes $45,000/month.... My best friend is an accountant and said this "kid" who is 22 paid over 200k in income taxes.... now remind me why he wants to learn a shitty trade that costs him thousands of dollars to learn, thousands in tools, and makes 64k/year.
 
Last edited:
Madmopars said:
We run a commercial HVAC company here in Tucson. We are not your typical HVAC company that only works on the smaller 5-ton and less mini-split kind of company. We work on chillers, boilers, pumps, cooling towers and pretty much all things HVAC from service to replacements to new construction. While there is no shortage of work there is definitely a shortage of skilled workers. This really should be of no surprise to anyone as it has been a topic of discussion with folks like Mike Rowe, Dave Ramsey and others. The question is, when will it improve? I've attempted to find skilled workers for awhile now with no luck. I think at this point anyone that's worth having is happily employed and or at least handsomely paid. In either case, the situation is still such that there is a notable shortage of workers. To dive deeper into this shortage, I'm seeing a generational gap. It appears as though the older skilled folks are retiring out and there is a clear gap in the age of the workforce in these trades. This is probably something we should have seen coming and sadly I think it's only going to get worse.

Has anyone found a way around this mess? If so, care to share words of wisdom?

At this point, unless I'm missing something in my hiring endeavors, my new plan is to find not so much someone skilled per se but rather someone who is mechanically inclined, has a desire to learn a skilled trade and perhaps most importantly, has integrity. I understand this is still a tall order but if I can find them, I'll be thrilled to teach them everything I know in hopes of doing my part to fix this train wreck. If anybody knows someone that fits the bill send them my way...
Click to expand...
I can't answer your question or share any wisdom, but I can certainly empathize.

Years ago in the fire service, there used to be candidates lined up around the block just waiting for the next testing process. Nowadays, it's almost like we have to hit the streets and hand out flyers begging people to test. I agree with what's been said above, in that it's possible people are just choosing higher paying, less laborious professions.

At 46, I regret not learning a trade in my younger years. Having a diverse skillset is a great safety net in case something goes wrong and you need work outside of your chosen profession someday, but unfortunately, I think that's an older way of thinking.

I'm just outside of Tucson and if I knew anyone that fit your needs, I'd definitely send them your way. The few HVAC guys I know are not only gainfully employed, but overflowing with side work (ESPECIALLY right now).
 
Mike Rowe runs a foundation called mikeroweWorks foundation and specializes in funding scholarship programs for skilled trades. Why not reach out to them?

mikeroweWORKS Foundation
 
abdywgn said:
I took the whole HVAC program at our community college. One of the teachers was a gear head with a Hemi in his younger days, I enjoyed the sheetmetal bending to make ductwork. When it came time for the lab and wiring...not so much. I remember we went thru a bunch of start capacitors. However I wired them, they never dropped out after starting. Then came the field trip and the comment: you'll be working on a rooftop in the winter when the wind chill is 20 below and in an attic when it's 110 outside. That did it. I went in hardware/auto parts store/dealer sales and retired from a 22 year run of warehousing. Still putter with our furnace and A/C to keep it running. Good luck with your search!
Click to expand...
A friend of mine took the HVAC school here at our VoTech college.
After crawling under houses, mobile home , in attics, on top of large commercial buildings etc in the middle of the summer in Fl, he gave it up. Mechanical aptitude is helpful, but I would say a person's who has a good work ethic and is not afraid of hard work, is equally important.
 
I went to trade school for auto mechanics spent 20 years being treated like crap by management and society, got out now I have people begging me to look at their car I'm like "I'm retired take it to a mechanic..." I have no inclination to "do people favors" when it comes to their cars...especially now in this era of "junk parts" availability ...:) I'd have to think HVAC guys feel similar...
 
Seems it’s all about money now days, and money ain’t worth anything anymore so you need a lot of it. In the trades traditionally you don’t make a lot of money. And the younger generation lacks pride for a job well done, those that do start there own buisness because that’s the only way to make it it seems in this economy. Gone are the days of owning a home a nice truck and having hobbies like a nice car and boat and motorcycle in the detached garage on a hourly wage in the labor industry
 
So true people by nature are going to want to make money the easiest way possible...working blue collar and getting dirty or sitting behind a desk it probably pays the same if not more and your hands aren't calloused.
 
10 years computers as a teen and college, then 35 coding/analytics...still pays the bills, and lets me buy the tools to work like a dog on my home/car projects! I couldn't have made it in a trade, even though I enjoy the callouses and busted knuckles I get, part of the process. I'm getting too old and crunchy to do some of my stuff, but I do what I can. I wind up needing Monday to recover from the weekend, and there was no partying!
 
Dartswinger70 said:
spent 20 years being treated like crap by management
Click to expand...
Same in commercial construction. General contractors are just managers now and their only employees are man hoist operators and safety carpenters, that double as spies that try to catch you being unsafe and threaten to kick you off the job. Some, instead of confronting you will sneak around and take pics of you. to rat you out. Guess where most of these aliens come from?
I`m sick of it and done with it, especially the rat race to and from.
Maybe it`s more bearable out west?
 
I got out at about 40 I may have been 39 but I worked in a garage in some form since High school so it was time. Yeah if I stayed past 40 Id still be in it probably own my own shop which was where I was headed but the customers today hard to deal with ...they dont like the bill they take to the Yelp reviews etc. but when ya need a mechanic ya need a mechanic I dont ever thibnk I WAS EVER LAID OFF WHILE IN THE TRADE.
 
There seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel from what I've seen. Lots of young men are starting to see the value in skilled trades over college and steering away from it.

My second son, installs gutters (yes it's skilled, not like HVAC, but a bad insatall can ruin a house) for a guy and makes decent money. He's been thinking of doing his own thing and running his own show. His boss has done VERY well here in S. Texas where loads of homes aren't even built with gutters. Go figure.

Anyway, the problem I had was I was told I'd never do well without a 4yr degress. To be fair, I do well. No millionaire but not starving either. however, I find myself questioning my decisions once in a while seeing how well the trades can provide given the right attitude and drive.

I know an old guy in his 70's. Very old local family name seen everywhere down here. Works every day and always looks like he's just got off a dozer. Wouldn't put it past him. Multi Millionaire who cannot for the life of him convince his kids to take over. He owns several thousand acres of and around the area and his main company does a LOT of land development for real-estate developers.

This younger generation as been taught anything other than a desk job is beneath them. It's rather pathetic.
 
Our son spent 5 years here in SE Texas teaching vo ag after he got his Master degree., then got into the administration part of the state school system. His job is seeing that the tech portion of the schools spends their revenes correctly in his district. His real claim to glory is when he is able to get a Fed. grant fora school's vo tech depts. He was just able to get our co. school a 2.5 million Fed. grant to increase the schools tech dept. Our county is small and this is huge! It takes his work plus a local school administration with the desire and ability to get it done.

No doubt the "attention" that the college student loan program gets these days will hopefull sent lots more kids to trade school that have no business borrowing big $ for a college education that prove to be costly and a waste of time.
 
sitting at traffic lights - I've offered able bodied panhandlers employment - in a gas station office with heat, a/c, cable tv, bathroom, internet ... - it requires simple phone skills, was told no thanks - do better begging. You figure it out.
 
It not much different in engineering. We hire a lot of smart young graduates with good grade point averages. Some are really good. However, many have no idea how to work and are almost useless. They loaf around for six months and wonder why they aren’t vice president yet. Very pitiful. No work ethic. Prosperity does not build character, quite the opposite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top