Panel of PHCC members share their proactive solutions
WASHINGTON — “The No. 1 asset of any employer is a trained and qualified worker,” said Glenn Thompson, R-Pennsylvania and co-chair of the House Career & Technical Education Caucus, during opening remarks at an April 27 special Workforce Development Roundtable on Capitol Hill.
Given current demographic trends, finding skilled workers is becoming increasingly more difficult in the plumbing, heating, and cooling industries. With an expected shortage of more than 138,000 employees by 2022, the industry faces a “workforce time bomb,” said Tom Applegate, executive director of the Ohio Association of Career-Technical Superintendents, member of the PHCC Educational Foundation’s Board of Directors, and a roundtable facilitator.