While the U.S. recession officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, remnants of this downturn continue to shape the trade labor market. With few people building during this period, many workers opted to leave the trade, found careers elsewhere and never returned. The majority of those still in the field is part of an aging workforce, often between 45 to 60 years old.
With an economic resurgence and fewer high schoolers interested in skilled trades, the pressure is on to attract a younger generation of qualified workers into the trade workforce. Here’s a look at how press technology can garnish their interest and keep you productive.
Press Technology Combines the Best of Both Worlds
In an age where technology reigns, millennials are attracted to the innovation behind press. This tech-savvy generation realizes the potential for press technology to help them work smarter and faster (press connections can be made in a matter of seconds), which immediately captures their interest. It becomes a question of why wouldn’t we use this over traditional methods when possible.
While press technology’s ease of use is attractive to younger workers, this quality also offers significant benefits to the experienced supervisors who oversee them. With minimal training, those new to the trade will be ready to use press technology in the field in no time.
As you keep up with the growing workflow and demand, you can focus more on the variables that matter to the end user versus getting lost in the craft. After all, it’s the ability of a skilled worker to install pipes into systems and make everything work cohesively that makes them qualified.
How to Get Young Workers Up to Speed on Press Technology
In their years of formal trade school education, union contractors are introduced to a variety of pipe joining technologies on the job and in the classroom — press technology included. With the specialized nature of trades in unions, these workers can be pretty adept on how to press for their specific applications upon program completion.
For non-union contractors without a formal trade school education, there may be fewer encounters with press technology and less knowledge on its use.
Viega training caters to contractors from either background. Whereas non-union contractors can take a one-day course that covers the basics of how to use carbon steel press technology, union contractors may want to continue their radiant education with a three-day course on different arrangements and control strategies for installation.
As technology moves fast and the concerns over safety and efficiency increase, an investment in industry education proves all the more valuable to the long-term success of your workers and your business as a whole.
Want to learn more about Viega training opportunities? See what courses are available now at our Nashua, New Hampshire, and Broomfield, Colorado, seminar centers.
