Sheet metal, like all trades, faces a major staffing challenge. The Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) forecasts that 35% of the workforce will retire in the next five years. So how does the industry attract new workers to this crucial field? By presenting it as a stable, but not stagnant, occupation.
Butch Welsch, owner of Welsch Heating & Cooling in St. Louis, said he has a relatively easy time attracting workers. His local chapter of sheet metal union SMART regularly receives hundreds of applications for its apprentice program. St. Louis has a long history as a working-class city. But Welsch understands the challenges others face.