Employee Sponsors Ensure Apprentices Succeed

By Amie L. Grant, Maleah Evans, Maureen Greeves and Rick Mosholder, WTI.

A program unique to the roofing industry and designed specifically to address the shortage of skilled labor.

The WTI Apprenticeship Program is an accredited program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.  Unique to the roofing industry, it includes 4,000 hours of OJT and 392 hours of classroom-related instruction and was developed to deliver a best-in-class training platform to our team and to address the growing skills gap and labor shortage.  Consider these statistics: 

• 88% of the roofing industry said labor was their #1 concern 

• The average age of our skilled labor work force is 56 

• 10,000 baby boomers reach retirement age every day 

• 200,000 jobs in roofing were left open in 2018 due to lack of candidates 

Our number one goal is to attract and retain talent to the roofing industry.  Whether employees are new to the industry or bringing years of valued experience, the Apprenticeship Program offers a training platform to ensure all employees learn the high-quality standards that set us apart in our industry.  We introduce the fundamentals of roofing while also providing a wholistic approach to learning about the construction industry with our accrediting partner, The University of Akron.  Apprentices receive training and education that is a best-in-class foundation, providing a springboard for a career in the roofing and construction trades.  Along with earning an Apprenticeship Completion Certificate (a Skilled Journey Card, which never expires and is valid in all 50 states and U.S. Territories), apprentices also earn 17 college credit hours that can be seamlessly applied toward the pursuit of an Associate’s degree in our Construction Management program.    

In addition to addressing the skills gap and labor shortage, the Apprenticeship Program is a direct result of some of the honest feedback we received from the field.  We knew we had to think of a way to make every employee in our company feel included, and that’s how our Sponsorship program came to fruition.   

Our Sponsors are employees volunteering their time outside of their day-to-day jobs to make sure our apprentices in the field are thriving.  Our Sponsors give an encouraging word when needed, help with program processes, and answer general business questions.  We affectionately call them our apprentices’ first friends at work.  This part of our program has had a positive impact not only on our apprentices, but on our Sponsors, too!  Jenna Gift, Lead QA & Sample Administrator, said, “Being a Sponsor has been a fun experience and it is nice to have connections in the field with the newer WTI Technicians.  I’m glad I can help make their transition into a new position easier and help our large company have a small business feel.”  

There are close to 70 newly hired WTI Field Resource Representatives enrolled in the program since its launch in September 2019.  These are unprecedented times.  WTI has been working hard to address the needs for their company, as well as the industry, to close the skills gap prior to COVID-19, so we have already laid the groundwork to introduce the world of roofing to a whole new audience in the coming months.  We have the talent to teach in the field and a best-in-class platform of online learning ready to meet the challenges ahead! 

No matter what stage of your career you are in, WTI is hiring!