AFE May/June 2012 : Page 11training is company mandated,” Hydrick said. “For example, we’re very big on safety training. But then there is also training in technical areas, like specifi c training on air handlers. In fact, whatever supplier we buy the equipment from we have it written into the contract that their company will provide training on that equipment to our workers.” When asked how much time should be devoted to training, Hydrick refered to Cowley as the expert. “Mike always says that training should take, on average, 5 to 10 percent of a worker’s time,” said Hydrick. “A lot of people we hire are skilled already, so for us it is about training for a particular piece of equipment.” Hydrick noted that in his area there is a high regard for skilled workers. “Th ere’s even a vocational high school (Mercy) in our area that is devoted exclusively to vocations,” he said. “In fact, I went there and gave a speech recently for Awards Day, where they were giving an award to a graduate of the school whom we hired. We have another great school in the area, Williamson Trade School, which also focuses on the trades, so we’re very lucky from that standpoint. Most areas of the country have cut back on those types of programs.” Hydrick is also lucky when it comes to his training budget. “Our training budgets are fl exible. If we need training in an area, we can usually fi nd money for it,” he said. “And we don’t mind spending that money on training. Some companies don’t like to spend money on training because they’re afraid that they’ll train a person, and then the person will quit and go somewhere else.” Taking Steps Toward a Solution According to Leonard, the fi rst step in fi nding a solution for the maintenance crisis is to “remove the stigma associated with percep-tions of maintenance.” He is quick to contrast the way we treat the fi eld of maintenance with the way we treat more glamorous indus-tries, such as entertainment. “Why are there so many ‘American Idol’ and athletic wannabes?” he asked. “It’s because we’ve glorifi ed those activities in the media. Meanwhile, the best maintenance technicians are kept in the shadows. At SkillTV, we turn that around by interviewing the best of the best in our industry and sharing their stories with media outlets like CNBC and other news programs.” Leonard continued, “We need to challenge MBA programs to educate future business leaders about the profi t contribution that maintenance and reliability programs can provide. If we are going to give maintenance the type of focus it deserves in the media, then we also need enlightened executives and CEOs who understand the importance of maintenance.” One additional solution, he noted, “is to develop incentives for older or retired workers to mentor groups of future techni-cians.” AFE Executive Director Wayne Carley, PhD, agreed on the importance of encouraging mentorships between older and younger workers — “a solution where AFE members can help most,” said Carley. FEJ Richard Stukey is the former senior editor of the Facilities Engi-neering Journal. Before and After… the difference is The transformation is rapid, cost-effective and literally pays for itself in energy and maintenance savings. Today’s building designers are discovering imaginative ways to turn old buildings into new with window, wall and skylight replace-ment systems from Kalwall. The quality of diffuse light, energy efficiency and structural integrity is ® unrivaled. Healthy, green, LEED , sustainable, safe and secure. • U-values as low as .05 (R20) • FM, Large Missile compliance options • Thousands of references Over 50 Years of Innovation! 800-258-9777 kalwall.com • daylightmodeling.com May | June 2012 ■ Facilities Engineering Journal ■ www.AFE.org 11 Kalwall Corporation |
