Building Houses Metro Career Academy for At-Risk High School Students
June 10, 2013
Design and construction of Metro Tech’s latest building, a 54,000-square-foot facility housing its Metro Career Academy (MCA) for at-risk high school students, incorporated a host of sustainable building and renewable energy aspects that resulted in becoming a LEED-certified CareerTech building by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
As a business owner, the process of separating this sour grape from the rest of the team may prove to be the difference between a budding workforce and a clan of complainers that’s rotten to the core.
When Abercrombie & Fitch’s Michigan stores ran into problems with properly completing I-9 forms, it turned out to be a seven-figure mistake. The $1,047,110 fine was imposed even though the clothing retailer fully cooperated with investigators and there was no proof it knowingly hired illegal workers.
While growth in HVAC and electrical jobs increases, a gap persists between job requirements and the skills of available workers. When almost one quarter of an industry’s workforce is planning to retire in five years or less, it creates opportunity. When 85 percent of employers report that it is difficult to very difficult to find qualified new hires, it creates a potential workforce disaster.
I have recently had the pleasure (and I use that term loosely) to meet a plethora of candidates looking to fill some open positions on The NEWS. Let’s just say I have a new respect for all the HVAC contractors out there who continually need to fish in a rather shallow labor pool.
Companies that routinely conduct criminal background checks need to take another look at their current policies and procedures. In April, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance about the use of arrest and conviction records in hiring.
Summer is here and school is out, but that doesn’t mean the education of HVACR technicians has ended. In fact, their education has likely been going on all year and will continue throughout the summer as professionals educate rookies to veterans about the basics and advanced principles of HVACR.
