The number of young people, especially people of color, entering the skilled trades profession is not keeping up with the pace of demand.
As a result, contractors that employ skilled and experienced workers are harder to find.
North American ContractorLink was created to make it easier for plant managers to find the best industrial contractors for their job. ContractorLink has built a network of fully vetted contractors across the country. At no cost to the customer, an advisor will help evaluate a project and identify the right contractor from its network.
"We’ve seen a ripple effect. Fewer workers entering the trades means fewer employees for contractors, forcing some to close business entirely," said Tim Speno, VP of national accounts for ContractorLink. "Then it becomes that much harder to find an available and qualified contractor."
John Wilson is the president of Penn Services LLC (Penn) in Chicago and is a member of ContractorLink’s network. First opening for business in 2008, it has persisted through challenges over the years.
"I started my business in 2008 just before the housing bubble burst, but we survived," said Wilson.
Penn has Minority Business Enterprise and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program certifications. "Initially, it was the only reason we got a shot in some instances," he said, "but then we had to perform once we got the job. We pride ourselves, not as being the best minority-owned contractor, but the best contractor period. That means recruiting the best people, but that’s getting harder to do," Wilson added.
Wilson is also a board member who sits on the Joint Apprentice Committee. "It’s a daunting task to convince people, especially people of color, that the skilled trades are a worthwhile path," Wilson said. "Growing up, exposure to the trades just wasn’t there in diverse communities like mine. Today, I think exposure has gotten even worse, but for all demographics. Young people don’t see the skilled trades as a terrific career opportunity with earning potential, pension, benefits — and that they can take a trade as far as they want to go."
Penn has been an example of providing these opportunities to young people and has continued to grow its business, opening a St. Louis office in 2015.
"ContractorLink is an outstanding way to partner with a business development team," said Wilson. "It’s tremendous for small- or medium-sized businesses like ours who don’t have those resources in-house."
"Just as we make finding a contractor easier for plant managers, we also work hard to support our contractors to create opportunities for workers. At the end of the day our goal is to put good people to work," Speno added.
"ContractorLink is committed to providing the best contractors to our customers and streamlining the process to find the right one for their job. That means building a strong network," Speno said.
"By supporting MBE and DBE contractors, like Penn, as well as all of the contractors in our network, we help create those opportunities for workers and make the skilled trades a strong and promising career path for young people," Speno pointed out.
For more information, visit nacontractorlink.com or call (844) 500-LINK (5465).
