LEWISVILLE, TEXAS – To address the industry-wide shortage of new technical talent, National Field Services, through its National Training Center, is launching an aggressive, ambitious training program that will benefit the entire electrical testing industry.
The Demographic Squeeze
Over 20 years ago, as the first of the baby boomer retirements approached, warnings were sounded that we would face a significant skills gap in the future. We are now seeing these predictions come to pass, in the electrical testing industry and throughout American industry in general.
The Demand for New Talent
College programs are not producing enough graduates with strong, highly technical skill sets in the electrical power discipline to satisfy the demand for new workers. Some of the power technology degrees available come closer than others to preparing graduates, but on the whole these programs are still falling short.
The demand for skilled young technicians is so great that companies in our industry must compete fiercely to attract them and tend to hire them away from each other. Another challenge: once some new hires break into the electrical power testing field and realize how broad and demanding it is, they may walk away to do less technical work.
The National Response
National Field Services, through the National Training Center, has decided to make a commitment not only to its future but the future of the industry. This commitment will more than likely benefit competitors as well as National Field Services.
NFS has developed a training program that will be the most aggressive in the industry. It has formed a pipeline recruiting team that will provide a continuous flow of young talent into the workforce.
The National Apprenticeship Program
This new initiative, the National Power Testing Apprenticeship Program, will be conducted in two phases. Once recruits are hired and in-processed, they enter directly into an exhaustive training regimen that spans three weeks. The curriculum consists of both classroom and lab work to take their education to the next level by specifically targeting the electrical power testing field. This program will teach and verify the tasks required to bring them to the knowledge and capabilities of a Level II Power Testing Technician. They will then enter NFS’s permanent workforce as a trainee for one year.
Once trainees are certified as a Level II technician and before they have four years of experience, they will be placed in the second phase of the training program. This phase is more extensive than the first, to continue the preparation for their certification as a Senior Engineering Technician in the Electrical Power Testing profession.
Uplifting the Industry
Naturally, National Field Services will look to retain the most talented of its trainees. But due to the demand for skilled young technicians, it expects many of the people who benefit from its training will eventually work for other companies in the testing arena. NFS believes, therefore, its rigorous training will have positive repercussions throughout the industry.
For more information, contact National Field Services at (469) 312-1203. Read the full article here.
ABOUT NATIONAL FIELD SERVICES
National Field Services is an electrical equipment testing and maintenance company that provides a wide range of solutions to improve the dependability, safety and efficiency of its customers’ electrical equipment and facilities. With the ability to service customers at their facilities, National Field Services provides heavy onsite installation, testing and start-up services, as well as disaster recovery operations. National Field Services is affiliated with National Switchgear, an industry leader in power distribution equipment and services.
Contact:
Holly Filewood
(469) 312-1203
[email protected]
