At a sprawling 77,000-square-foot training space in St. Petersburg, Power Design apprentices arrive in their own version of an escape room.
It simulates a typical apartment, but here they’re looking for different types of clues: the construction errors and code enforcement violations hidden in plain sight, from the screw that’s not perfectly aligned on a light switch to the door that opens the wrong way in the electrical room.
It’s one of the many hands-on learning and testing exercises in the space – dubbed CAMP – created by Power Design, a design and construction contractor with projects around the country, including the Tennessee Titans stadium and the Ritz-Carlton in Savannah, Georgia.
The company is pouring tens of millions of dollars into expanding the campus, which acts as the home base for its four-year apprenticeship program. Company leaders see it as a needed investment, part of their “Build the Nation” initiative to get ahead of a looming workforce shortage for skilled labor.
“No matter what type of build it is, whether it’s a hospital, data center or anything in between, the supply isn’t there,” said Stephanie Morge, the vice president of learning and development at Power Design. “We do not have the supply for the demand.”
The numbers back that up. Around 1.7 million trade jobs will open annually for the next 9 years, according to the State of America’s Skilled Trades report. That need is exacerbated by an aging workforce inching closer to retirement. About one-quarter of the workforce is 55 or older, the report found. By comparison, 11% of workers are younger than 25.
The investment will build upon the existing space and create new amenities, such as dorm rooms for students. The program, named PowerU, has about 380 students around the country. It works on an “earn while you learn” model, meaning apprentices get on-the-job training across Power Design’s 350 projects and complete courses while earning a salary.
The goal, Morge said, is to double the number of new apprentices next year.
College isn’t the only way
At CAMP, students perform hands-on exercises, such as hooking up basic circuits and testing to see if they were plugged in correctly. An instructor walks through the room to check the work. Their attendance and grades are monitored — much like any other classroom experience.
PowerU is certified by the Department of Labor and the Department of Education. It was created seven years ago as a way to better educate Power Design employees on expectations and create a uniform base level skill set, Morge said.
Anyone is eligible to complete the program as long as they have a high school diploma or its equivalent and speak English, Morge said. The apprenticeship spans multiple trades — electrical, mechanical, plumbing and systems technologies — and students are prepped to take their journeyman exam, the certification test for a skilled trade.
The program is centralized, unlike other companies that might outsource some classes and certifications to a local college. Though it started as mostly virtual, the program is now mainly in person. Students spend one week at CAMP every quarter.
Apprentices are paired with mentors — usually the four-year students who are almost done with the program. The support starts from day one, Morge said, by giving students their first set of tools.
“You have to create an environment in which they want to learn and they feel supported,” Morge said.
She added that there is still a reputation that follows trade-based jobs as a “blue collar, low-end” career choice. She thinks that’s prevented younger generations from pursuing this line of work and is contributing to the shortage.
“The core of it is the perception of the trades being lesser than. Full stop,” Morge said.
At the Power Design campus, that misconception seems far from reality. Construction employees can work alongside their office-based counterparts.
A 10-foot-tall gorilla sculpture greets employees in one of the six buildings on the property. Outdoor murals are painted across many of them. Cryotherapy chambers, light-therapy beds, Pilates workout sessions and massage pods are available to all Power Design workers.
“Whether it’s in the field itself or here in the office, a career in the trades can provide. You don’t have to go to college,” Morge said. “College isn’t always the answer for every young adult.”
Building the pipeline
Alex Fox remembers his father telling him, “If you can learn how to use your tools, we can do anything.” The same applies for the trades, said Fox, senior director of marketing and brand strategy for Power Design.
“You learn a trade … you are valuable forever,” he said. “Not only that, but your work is out in the cities for your loved ones and family to experience.
“You’re building these cities, these skylines,” Fox said. “You’re making experiences for communities and people.”
There is $6.7 trillion worth of construction needed by 2030, according to Power Design. The need to build the pipeline of workers is even more acute in Tampa Bay, Fox added, where new high-rises are well underway and housing needs accelerate the demand.
“If you can bring people in from Tampa Bay, educate them on how to build these things and then continue to build, we’re helping our local economy. We’re helping build our community,” Fox said. “It ends up being a win-win.”
