Articles Tagged with ''labor shortage''

Adapted from PHCC Academy’s online curriculum, the HVAC and plumbing pre-apprenticeship courses could help address the state’s technician shortage where possible by equipping inmates with the necessary skills before they return to the community.  

With skilled labor in short supply, contractors are facing rising wage pressure and a new reality: keeping talent may be harder than hiring it.

To give stakeholders, policymakers, and the public a deeper dive into this data, Bring Back the Trades will be hosting a virtual webinar on Wednesday, February 11th from 10:30am-11:30am.

Across markets, contractors report that moving labor from unpredictable jobsite conditions into controlled fabrication environments is yielding measurable gains: fewer errors, improved safety metrics, and installation timelines compressed from weeks to days.

Bringing veterans into the trades isn’t charity; it’s capacity building. They tend to stay longer, care deeply about their work, and invest locally. Every veteran hired strengthens not just a company but the community it serves.

By automating time-consuming tasks like takeoffs, quoting and scheduling, the platform is enabling builders to do more with less—boosting efficiency, supporting apprenticeships and making the trades more appealing for the next generation.

It’s about clarity and consistency. Are your techs empowered to say no to unreasonable requests? Do they feel supported when a client pushes back? Do your customers understand the value behind your pricing, and the fact that your team isn’t just delivering a service, they’re delivering their skill, time and care?

Advances in hardware and software open the door to future-proof projects, maximize resources and unlock new efficiencies. Here are three ways plumbing and mechanical contractors can use technology to get more done despite the industry’s shortage of skilled labor.

Allow your young workers time to learn. Mistakes will happen; turn them into learning opportunities. Do your best to create an environment where questions are encouraged! We all start somewhere, after all. And, most importantly, recognize growth when you see it. Gen-Z workers seem to thrive off of praise, so don’t be shy with it!

In the trades, apprenticeships form the basis for skill development, but the concept should extend beyond entry-level roles to become a lifelong approach to leadership.