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speaker-0: There is a workforce shortage in construction and the skilled trades. At the same time, people are completing training programs and still struggling to get hired because employers want experience. So where is the disconnect? Today, we're talking about what happens between training and employment and how we can build a stronger pipeline that gives people real experience before they even graduate. Our guest is Rick Ellis, a workforce and partnership executive with more than 25 years of experience in staffing, workforce development, employer partnerships, and business development. Let's get into it. This is the Commercial Builders Network, and we like to say construction can change your life and start to look a lot like you. This is the Commercial Builders Network, where trust is restored, power is reclaimed, and legacy is built. Let's get to work. Hello, beautiful people, and welcome to another episode of the Commercial Builders Network. My name is Tanisha Reed and I'm your host. And today we have the amazing Rick Ellis from Blessed Trade Alliance. How you doing today, Rick?
speaker-1: I'm doing good, how about so?
speaker-0: I am awesome, I am awesome. I am making it. All right. This is Labor Day and I am
speaker-1: Hey, that's what it's all about. Put in labor.
speaker-0: All right. So now you have been in workforce training, development, you name it, for almost twenty five years, right? No more than twenty five years.
speaker-1: Almost thirty.
speaker-0: I my birthday coming up, not even gonna tell you. Not even gonna tell you. But that's that's all right. Look, you that means you are an expert.
speaker-1: Seasoned. Seasoned.
speaker-0: So with with your expertise, let's dive into what is it that you see is a gap in workforce right now in the industry, especially when it comes to construction.
speaker-1: I think the biggest gap when it comes to skill trades and construction is the completion of training and job readiness. Most people see it as being the same, but it's actually different.
speaker-0: Can you explain what the difference is?
speaker-1: Well the difference is, you know, the training can teach the fundamentals, but actually being ready for a job, what the employees are looking for is people that's gonna be on time, people that's gonna be committed, that actually can be coachable and ready to work on a job site. And the classroom can't necessarily teach all that.
speaker-0: So whose job? So is that something that you do? is 'cause a lot of that has to do with soft skills that many people aren't taught, I guess, on a day to day basis, or that's not really a a thing they're teaching in school. So where what is it? Do they come through your program to do something like that or how does that
speaker-1: Well, it can happen with several programs, but at Blessed Straight Alliance that is one of the things that we put our hat on. being able to offer workshops to develop the person while they're going through the training and then from there to be able to get them into real work situations to gain more experience.
speaker-0: So when they're completing these courses, are they just kind of shipping them out? Are they even helping them at these different institutions where they're gaining the the skills of the trade to prepare them for the jobs at all? Or are they kinda just sending them out with a certificate?
speaker-1: Well, I can say some some programs do it very well where they are going a little bit further to help them in terms of bringing in other workforce organizations to help work with them on their soft skills. Now I can't say that's for all programs, but some do a very good job at it. But again, it comes down to that student as well, how much they want to receive. 'Cause some think that the certificate is gonna be the only thing that's gonna allow them to gain employment. But reality is you have to work on you the person. Make yourself better, make yourself more employable by by bringing that energy, by understanding the expectation that the employees are looking for. And they're looking for people that's that's like I said, coachable, that wanna be on time, that's dependable, got reliable transportation. So all those things play a role, not just getting the certificate, walking through the door.
speaker-0: Now, I know a lot of these companies are struggling to fill the gap. Are they making any adjustments to these people? Or they're kind of just expecting them to come in with experience? Cause I know I've I've in my past years have applied to a lot of jobs that say entry level, but then they ask for experience. I'm like, well, how do you do that?
speaker-1: Well, y you h you hit something on the head. they say entry level, but at the same time they have an expectation that they will come through the door having experience as a journeyman in some cases. But reality is not only the schools and the employers they have to come together and do more than just do things from having a being on advisory boards. They gotta get inside those classrooms, see how those students are are progressing. Get involved with mock interviews and have a realistic expectation of them and better yet have a a 90-day plan in terms of training and what they can expect on the job, putting them with a mentor, doing things that that person can be able to know whether or not they perform well or not. Because at the end of the day, if you're a new employee, especially coming out of school, you shouldn't have to guess whether or not you're doing well or not. So being able to have regular check ins with those students or those new employees, putting them with a mentor and giving them realistic expectation in terms of how they can skill up once they been hired so they can know what the compensation plan could be more like in terms of growth.
speaker-0: So how does your organization step in and help bridge the gap between these institutions, the students, and then the actual employers?
speaker-1: We
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do threefold. Number one, working with the the training schools, getting with the instructors, getting their feedback in terms of which particular students are doing very well, not only in terms of the certification they're gaining, their attendance, their grades, and getting that feedback, in terms of those who may be ready. And that doesn't necessarily mean that they have to do it months later. It can happen early on because every person is different. And then also working with the employers who may have a need to have additional labor, so to speak, and get with them that want to have that bandwidth, that capacity to bring on people to train them, what happens for that employee is not only do they get additional help freeing up some of those experienced tradesmen to do more of the bulk work while they have some of the entra level guys helping them out, it also give them a chance to see some of the talent that's coming on board or this that's being you know coming out of these particular schools. So they get a chance to see some of the the new people coming into the workforce early on.
speaker-0: So one thing for me, especially with this platform, I have also thought that the the way I bring on professionals and workforce so that we could educate people on the opportunities that are there job wise, right, inside the construction industry to fill that gap. But I'll also bring on people who can help with these bid opportunities for these small businesses in the Goal is to basically fuel an ecosystem where we're all thriving and feeding each other. How do you speak to a small business who needs help bringing in these people so they can fulfill the capacity? But may say, I don't have time to train anybody. What do you say to them?
speaker-1: Well, w when they say that, I training is an investment. And in order to make a difference or gain a better share, you have to be willing to give back. 'Cause before for those individuals that are coming to work with a smaller company, they get a chance to see more. So working with that that owner Working with that lead, that supervisor, they get a chance to do more on a job site than going working for a bigger company. So the investment is is greater for them to tap into that talent. Now they don't have to do it by themselves. That's why BTA is around. to be able to vet and be able to put in front of them people who are ready to work. So that's what I would say to them. You know, don't think that you got to do it alone. You don't have to build out the structure all by yourself. It's that partnership. Whether it's through other workforce organization or s through someone like us, BTA, is being able to do it together, allow some people to do some of the pieces for you. So that's the benefit that they can take advantage of.
speaker-0: So I noticed you said it basically it's the preparation that the companies have in their first 30, 60, 90 days. what what do you think they should do to help with their retention as
well? Like you you help them with their training, you help them with the communication, you have set expectations during that time, but how do you keep these people on board?
speaker-1: Keep them employed, again, it's all about giving them a structured understanding of the company and making sure that in that thirty, sixty, ninety day period that they're giving feedback in terms of how well they're doing on the job and then giving them a carrot in front of them so they can see how they can scale up, encouraging them to continue to get different certifications. Don't just stop at what you gained out of coming out of trade school or coming out of technical school. To put them with people that are career people, career tradespeople, so that they can learn from people who've been through the ropes that they've been through. Everyone was wants a beginner be before. so that's key. Just being able to have a structured training program. And I say this to individuals that's getting into the trades to make sure that you do your research on companies. Everybody that's gonna pay you may not invest in you. They might only invest into your labor. So reality, you want to get with a program or get with a company that's gonna help build your brand as well. Not just have expectation that you're gonna work, but w how they can continue to upskill you to make you a better Whether HVAC or construction foreman, whatever the case may be, you want a company that's gonna invest in you as the skill trade talent.
speaker-0: That's good that you said invest in you. Now I know this is slightly different from what you're speaking to, but a lot of times people in the skilled trades or I have a heart for those who are working at the department stores, the fast food, the car washes that are getting paid minimum wage and are just basically s barely surviving, working three, four jobs, right? And my thought is that if we help them get into a skill trade that can actually help them build as a career to not only sustain them, their family, but potentially get housing and the proper housing and getting sustainable wealth eventually, how do we speak to those who are coming from places where the the housing is is is not the most stable and they need help with the child care and all the mental things that come with living in an impoverished state, how do we transfer that mindset from what they're accustomed to to getting into a place where they are ready to be in an established career?
speaker-1: But that's a great question and that's one of the important things for me as well. I thrive off of being able to introduce people to a better, a better job to a career. And I have a workshop that's called Drive You that allows people to well the ideal is to help them think. Think through the process that they gotta be in the driver's seat of their career. In order to get to the destination they want to, they can't be in the passenger seat just looking at things or letting everybody drive them. And the reality like you spoke on, when it comes to some of those barriers, we can get away from those barriers, but we gotta have help. So my company being a staffing company doesn't act operate like the traditional staffing company. It's about workforce development and it starts from that individual. Being able to look at the full body of the individuals. So for me, when I look at some of the individuals that get into the skill trades program, it's not just to get them the certificate, it's also to work on those other barriers that's holding them back. How is their let's say, transportation issue? How is it in terms of their living condition? Do they have childcare issues? Because at the end of the day, when they do get that certificate and they graduate, if those issues haven't been addressed, guess what's gonna happen? They're gonna run into problems. They're gonna gain the job and they may lose the job because none of those barriers have been addressed to be able to, you know, make it stabilized. So we do have to stabilize those other things when we're trying to take a person from a just let's just say a non-career type of job into a career. Because let's face it, we got people that get a four-year degree and still can't function because some of the other things that we're talking about within those barriers haven't been addressed. So no matter who the person is, whether it's trade, four-year degree, if anybody trying to gain and get stable in a career, you also have to have to get stable as a person. And it's not the school's job to do that, but other organizations need to come together and work with those schools because if everybody does a part, then we can push that person towards you know, a new bridge instead of being a cliff. Because when I when you graduate and you have to take care of those other things. It's just a cliff. And it should be graduating as a last last piece to the bridge to better. Better employment, better living conditions, better everything.
speaker-0: So you did dive into a bit of one of your workshops. Are there any other workshops that the people need to know about?
speaker-1: Yes, we're gonna be rolling out a couple more workshops. One in particular, which will entail over a four week period, job seekers to work on their resume, salary negotiation, their LinkedIn profile, and some other soft skills. as well as during this process, we'll do headshots for them as well. So Just wanna get deeper into them better understanding the interview process and what's suspected of them.
speaker-0: And w what are the costs attributed to your program?
speaker-1: The workshops that we provide are one hundred percent free. As a staffing agency, that's where we make our money. It's not about for the job seeker. We want to make the job seeker a better person. So utilizing these workshops to empower them is is important for us. And sometimes it's not all about making money. Sometimes you gotta be willing to give back as well.
speaker-0: Awesome. Do you have anything else that you wanna that stands that keeps your your company standing apart from other recruiting and staffing companies?
speaker-1: Well, I would say that when it comes to workforce and job readiness, we offer job fairs as well, in our April and October each year. we have one coming up on October twenty first, which will be in Powder Springs, Georgia. And we expect to have over fifty employers, ten different skill trades at this particular job fair, as well as education partners. Resources to help build people up. We will do a clothing giveaway as well as a food distribution. And we will have mobile units offering free assessments in terms of elf screeners.
speaker-0: What makes you want to serve this gap currently in construction?
speaker-1: Well, for me, in as you stated, almost three decades of putting people to work, workforce development, what I've seen in the course of doing this is a lot of people obtaining skills and not getting opportunities, and vice versa, employers saying they need to hire but can't find people. Reality is both of are telling the truth. But the ideal is there need to be more people connecting the docs. And that's that's the idea that I wanna do being able to get these people that's gaining new skills, some real time hours before they graduate, so that they can have some although they may be intro level still, they can have some real life experiences. Because the classroom is only gonna teach a theory, but to get out there on the job site, you get chance to see the pressure, you get a chance to see what need to happen when things change. And you get a chance to work with different trades on a job site. So this is important, not just what you learn in the class from
speaker-0: So say that you're speaking directly to a young person or an adult who maybe is looking for a pivot into a new career, why would you tell them to consider skill trades?
speaker-1: Well, I would tell them consider skill trades because it give them opportunity to gain certification, they can step into apprenticeships and it can take them into a strong, employable career faster than necessarily going to four year college. At the same time not taking on that burden what it costs to gain obtain that four year degree. and it applies to anyone, somebody that may be returning back to society. That they can make a a career and not just a job when it comes to skills trades. Definitely
speaker-0: I know maybe.
speaker-1: encourage them to keep pushing and and to take a look at it. and if they the big thing is this they don't have to do it by themselves. If they want to think about it, have consideration about it, they can reach out to me at BTA. We'll be glad to walk them down that road to look at what may be an ideal trade for them and then connect them to those particular schools that offer training.
speaker-0: I love that. many people think that when they go into the skill trades, it's like they're settling. Most people don't realize you can make six figures inside this industry. Can you speak to the person that feels like, well if I go get a trade, I'm just settling for less.
speaker-1: Well, definitely not selling for less because just as you said, you can make six figures and you are professional in that particular trade. it's it's a trade that you can that you can stand in and build not only as a person, but you can also be able to give back to your community and offer other opportunities to to grow. You can go from being a a skilled tradesman to an entrepreneur business owner in that particular trade.
speaker-0: So what type of employees are you looking to partner with right now?
speaker-1: What I'm looking to partner with is those that are employees that are H FAC contractors, electrical, maintenance, building trades, construction companies, but mainly companies that are willing to bring on students, recent graduates, and offer them an opportunity to gain real life experience so that they can be a little bit more gainful employee employee.
speaker-0: If a contractor is watching this right now and says, you know what, I want to give somebody an opportunity, what should they do next?
speaker-1: They should reach out to me, Rick Ellis at Bless Trades Alliance. we will talk about their needs in terms of what type of student skill set they're they're looking to gain, what their work site look like, and we can then partner them with those students to have that skill set that they're looking for.
speaker-0: Awesome. And if I'm a person that is looking to get into the workforce, where should I reach out to you? What should I look forward to?
speaker-1: you can reach out to me at Rick Ellis at Rick dot ellis at blesstrades dot org. You can also find me, whether you're a school student or employer, on LinkedIn. And what you can look forward to is a info session that will allow you to better understand your own skill set so that we can point you in the right direction in terms of getting into a training program.
speaker-0: Awesome. Thanks, Rick. That's been awesome.
speaker-1: Thank you.