Many soon-to-be high school graduates will have already applied for and been accepted into college. But for those who have not, there has never been a better time for an attractive alternative to college, as explained by Ohio State Senator George Lang (R-West Chester) in a recent speech at the Business First Alliance in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium on April 23.
Lang spoke to young adults just entering the workforce about the opportunities in the construction industry. The topic of his speech, and other speakers to follow, was the Merit Shop Alliance.
“Today, we are going to be talking about the Merit Shop Alliance, or MSA for short,” he said. “This alliance is important because as we look to the future, Advanced Manufacturing is the future of America. And there are four things that you need in Advanced Manufacturing to financially dominate and with your help, Ohio will financially dominate the country. One — you need a friendly business environment. That’s up to us state legislators to figure that out. But then, you need access to cheap energy. I’m telling you right now Ohio has more natural gas reserves, just the State of Ohio, than any other country in the world except America as a whole, Russia, and China.”
Lang continued, “As we unleash those reserves, we are going to have the cheapest cleanest form of energy in the world. The second thing you need in terms of raw materials is water. No other state in America can compete with us on water. Maybe Michigan can say they are equal. But it’s not just our lakes and our rivers, it’s also our aquifers. Ohioans have more and better access to water than any other state. And the third most important element that we need, in terms of natural resources, is you, human capital. We need workforce development. We have the same challenges as other states, but we also have some advantages and within two decades, we will financially dominate the rest of the country.”
Training for potential workers is available.
“As a member of the Merit Shop Alliance, our goal is to provide our workers with the best training which comes without the burden of college debt,” said Rikki Roehrenbeck, owner of Roehrenbeck Electric. “We provide steady work with the opportunity to earn higher wages. Working at a Merit Shop allows the individual worker to be in charge of their own career. They have the ability to cross train, learn new skills, take on leadership roles, and we have the ability to reward them for their individual contribution and hard work. Each person is an integral part of the crew, whether they are running conduit, wiring a fire-alarm system, or the foreman overseeing the plan.”
Roehrenbeck continued, “There are many other Ohioans working for companies similar to ours. There are over 250,000 Merit Shop workers in our ranks, which is over 80% of the workforce in trades and construction in Ohio.”
Opportunity abounds in Ohio.
“We are in a labor shortage,” said Terry Boyden, owner of Capital City Mechanical. “It’s no secret. And there’s a lot of opportunities out there. Everybody’s trying to hire people.”
A typical work situation in a Merit Shop would be to start out working at $18 to $22 per hour. The goal would be to work hard for 4 years, put in 8,000 hours, and earn a certificate in a skilled trade. In addition, the apprentices would put in 600 hours in the classroom, getting the education in their trade that they will need to earn their certificate and become a journeyman electrician, plumber, sheet metal worker, carpenter, or HVAC technician.
For some companies in the Merit Shop Alliance, this education is provided at no cost. The schooling takes place one day per week, after work for 4 hours. Once their education is complete, a certified electrician will be able to start at $40 per hour, and in some trades the wage rate can increase to $56 per hour.
“I started as a first-year apprentice in our pre-fab shop,” Luke Muter, who started as an apprentice at Settle-Muter Electric. “Yeah, you always start sweeping the floors. It’s about learning how we work as a company and how you’re supposed to work as a tradesman. You learn the proper steps to take to achieve the end goal of the project.”
Company representatives at the meeting encouraged anyone interested to call companies in the construction field and ask if they are hiring and training new workers, or if they have an apprenticeship program.
And, of course, there are also other pathways to obtain the training necessary to be a skilled tradesperson.
Luke Giese, Apprenticeship Coordinator, said that Columbus State Community College has an Apprenticeship program with many partner organizations to provide plans of study that will lead to a certificate in the trades and an associate degree. Columbus State also offers Apprenticeship Readiness Certificates so that new workers can get some initial training which will give them some insight into the field and increase their chances of getting hired as they continue their pursuit of a degree.
Many trades unions are part of this partnership program or they can be contacted directly to inquire about Union Shop opportunities.
Columbus State Apprenticeship Partners
Lynn Giese, Apprenticeship Coordinator
lgiese@cscc.edu
614-287-2474
Electrical:
IEC Central OH
3128-H East 17th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43219
Ph: 614-473-1050
NOECA Northern Ohio IEC Electrician Apprenticeship
8001 Brecksville Road
Brecksville, OH 44141
Ph: 440-333-8025
Equipment Operators:
Ohio Operating Engineers — Apprenticeship & Training
1184 Dublin Road
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Ph: 614-486-5281
Plumbing:
APHC
653 McCorkle Blvd. Unit H
Westerville, OH 43081
Ph: 614-315-6924
Email: Frank Czako
Plumbers and Pipefitters — UA Local 189
1250 Kinnear Rd.
Columbus, OH 43212
Ph: 614-486-2912
TP Mechanical Apprenticeship Program
1500 Kemper Meadow Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45240
Ph: 513-851-8881
Sheet Metal:
Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship
3031 Lamb Ave.
Columbus, OH 43219
Ph: 614-471-3107
TP Mechanical Apprenticeship Program
2030 Franklin Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43209
Ph: 614-253-8556
Multicraft:
Associated Builders & Contractors
Central Ohio Chapter
1725 Jetway Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43219
Ph: 614-529-4300
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