The Key to Combatting the Labor Shortage

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter. 

Why it is so important to invest in and support your employees with ongoing training. 

In Season 3, Episode 42 of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi J. Ellsworth visits with Tom Biller of Tremco Roofing about how employee and contractor retention factor into the labor shortage. The two discuss the overall importance of strong onboarding training for employees. 

Tom has been with Tremco since he graduated college 28 years ago. He now works as the training manager for Tremco’s Roofing and Building Maintenance division. “I’ve worn a lot of different hats in my career with Tremco, [but] I really found my place here in the training department,” says Tom. 

Tom tells Heidi about the ongoing training that Tremco provides for contractors, sales representatives, the design community, and more with regards to roofing products, systems and installation. Every employee hired by Tremco is trained on all aspects of the roofing industry, a testament to the way that Tremco invests in their employees. 

“When you join Tremco, you'll get an opportunity to come through one of our Roofing 101 classes, and that's where we introduce people who aren't familiar with the roofing industry to basic roofing concepts, and then of course to the Tremco solutions,” says Tom. 

Tremco’s training programs are extensive. For contractors, Tremco can provide hands-on trainings for their products, which can be conducted for entire crews. Tremco Contractor Support Specialists can even join contractors in the field and provide direct instruction while on the roof. 

“We certainly feel that when you properly train an employee, they feel confident, they feel empowered to do their job and they want to learn more,” says Tom. “Training people properly to do their jobs, training people to advance in the company, really is key to retaining good people.” 

Learn more about Tremco Roofing in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.tremcoroofing.com.  

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about Tremco’s training programs and why training new workers is essential for retaining them.