The workforce shortage in facilities has been hitting the industry hard in recent years. Across building operations and maintenance, managers are struggling to find skilled technicians with knowledge of HVAC or plumbing systems. A new reentry initiative from the PHCC Educational Foundation and its Indiana Chapter is tackling that challenge by tapping into a new, often overlooked pool of potential workers.
Launched in the Hamilton County Jail Indiana, the program offers incarcerated individuals a seven-week pre-apprenticeship focused on plumbing and HVAC fundamentals. Participants receive introductory training in system basics along with limited hands-on exposure. To take part in the program, participants must show an interest in the trades.
“It’s a preparation course more than anything else, helping individuals determine if they’re interested in the profession and giving them a leg up when they go into interviews,” says Chuck Gillespie, executive director of the PHCC Indiana Chapter.
Graduates earn a certificate of completion from PHCC and a press training certificate, signifying a baseline knowledge and commitment to employers. Participants also are guaranteed job interviews with contractors, increasing their chances of entering the trades.
“We’re not guaranteeing them a job,” Gillespie says. “We cannot do that, but we are guaranteeing that they will interview with somebody who actually has a job opening and a need for new talent.”
This initiative was built off the Transitioning Opportunities for Work, Education and Reality (TOWER) program that further equips inmates with skills for life outside prison. Participants can attend career fairs while incarcerated, receive resume building tips, interview coaching and reentry support to help navigate barriers that often prevent formerly incarcerated individuals from securing jobs.
“These programs give them an opportunity — hope — that they can get through,” says Dan Quinonez, executive director of the PHCC Foundation. “At least they have a pathway to change their lives. And from an industry standpoint, that pathway also creates an opportunity to bring new people into a workforce that desperately needs them.”
Elaina Myers is the assistant editor of the facilities market.
