Drake State adds course to combat skilled labor shortage

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — There is a shortage of skilled tradespeople. It’s a problem that persisted well before the coronavirus pandemic.

Roofers, HVAC technicians and home remodeling businesses, just to name a few, have been hit hard. There simply are not enough people to fill the job openings.

“Especially with the population explosion here in Huntsville, Madison, Limestone and surrounding counties,” said Ira Jones, the director of workforce development at Drake State Community and Technical College.

The question by business owners is, why has the issue persisted? Jones told News 19 that the older hands-on tradesman is aging out and retiring at a much earlier age than expected, while the new workforce is starting to show interest in taking up that slack.

College officials had to pick up the pieces while trying to develop new recruiting strategies to entice students to come in and learn hands-on skills. Since that same time, according to Drake State, labor shortages have become the hallmark of the state’s economy.

Nearly 30,000 more job listings were added for skilled tradesmen, while the unemployment numbers were up.

Recognizing the skilled labor shortage, Drake State is doing what it can to fuel the new workforce. This year they are offering a flooring installation course which Jones says is the first of its kind in the region.

“We had published about this training, and we were already receiving calls from the flooring industry wondering how fast we are going to get this training online,” said Jones. “The reason is that there’s such a need and this is the first flooring course being taught in the region, so I expect high turnout.”

After graduation, students will have industry-recognized credentials that they can use to go to work immediately.

“And it’s very attractive to the hands-on skills trade industry overall,” said Jones.

For more information on the flooring installation program, you can visit Drake State’s website

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