Too many people have turned up their noses at trade school to go to college, and now I am paying for it.
I am a principal owner in a second-generation company providing installation and servicing for commercial refrigeration, cooking systems, HVAC and plumbing.
I need workers who have gone through trade school and have taken certain courses. But I see a lot of unemployed college graduates saddled with huge student loan debts. They don't have the skills that I need.
We have 140 employees, and we are still growing. Even during the challenging economic times of the last five years, we have added three locations and a new plumbing division.
We offer great salaries, benefits and pensions that can support families in their latter years. Yet, we are not seeing the right candidates.
The lack of skilled technicians is slowing our growth to add markets as aggressively as we may want.
Some small business owners say they're hiring but they can't find employees.
