Vermeer Corporation has heard from contractors and dealers alike that there is a perpetual shortage of qualified horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operators and crew members in the underground utility industry. When asked what’s causing the shortage, industry experts often cite a lack of awareness about the opportunities the HDD industry can provide or misconceptions that you need a 4-year college degree to have a successful career.
Jaeson Osborn, president of Q3 Contracting, is the perfect case study. Osborn followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps and joined the underground utility industry. He started out as a laborer, working around the drill in the mid 1990s. Then he moved to fusing gas lines and eventually learned to operate the drill.
“The company was expanding and buying more machines, which meant we were looking for people to run them,” said Osborn. “I just figured that since horizontal directional drilling was becoming the primary method of utility installation, I should learn how to run the machine.”
So he learned how to operate a drill on the jobsite.
“But I knew I wanted to be the president of a company,” said Osborn. “I had a goal. I observed people around me who were in successful spots and realized they had a lot of on-the-job experience. It goes back to that old adage, ‘If you can walk a mile in someone’s shoes, you can relate better.’ So that’s what I did. I took any opportunity that was out there. I worked hard at every position. I got to know it inside and out and just progressively moved through the ranks.”
Osborn said it took him about 10 years to progress from a laborer into a management role. Thanks to industry training opportunities and technological advancements, Osborn believes most young adults just starting out could probably do it in half that time today.
“Nowadays, if I were an 18-year-old and had the ambition and work ethic, I could probably be in a pretty influential role by my late 20s,” said Osborn. “Now the industry is set up with more formal training through companies like Vermeer. We have built a nice, clear path for someone who wants a career in this industry.”
Working your way up
Osborn said his company, Q3 Contracting, goes to tech schools, hires interns and participates in job fairs in an effort to recruit qualified workers.
“We really want a person to see the labor side of the business because you get to learn the industry from the ground up,” said Osborn. “We feel like that makes you a better, more rounded individual. We don’t necessarily take someone right out of college and put them in a project manager role. There’s so much going on in the field that you need to understand.”
Like many contractors, Q3 Contracting starts new employees as laborers. If an individual learns quickly, they move into the role of a pipe fitter or a drill operator. Once they’ve mastered that task, they can cross-train to the other role. Then, the individual may advance into a foreman, in charge of leading a drilling crew. Once you’ve mastered that role and proved that you’re productive and follow safe operating practices on a jobsite, the individual can advance into a supervisor role, where he or she is responsible for multiple crews. Then, into a manager role and from there on up.
Recruiting the next generation
Each generation has different drivers, desires and personality traits than the previous ones. For the first time in history, we have four generations in the work force — the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and the Millennials. Baby Boomers are getting ready to retire, and they’re taking an abundance of industry knowledge with them.
“We’re targeting 18- to 25-year-old Millennials right now, that next generation of laborers,” said Osborn. “We’re trying to show them that the drills have taken some of the physical labor out of the job. They really just need to be able to handle the machines and the automation.”
“I always tell people to try it out,” said Osborn. “If you’re a smart individual and you have a good sense about you, you may have a career in this industry. And given the future of this industry, the sky is the limit.”
With tens of thousands of miles of aging infrastructure that needs to be replaced across North America, those interested in the HDD industry can rest assured the work isn’t going away anytime soon.
“We own about 60 directional drills now,” explained Osborn. “I keep saying there will come a time when we have enough, but that time hasn’t come. I don’t think it will. For us to have 100 drills in a couple years is not far fetched, which means we need qualified people to run them.”
Osborn says if he could sit in front of a group of young adults right now, he would tell them the stigma of blue collar work is for “people who aren’t smart and need to use their backs” is incorrect.
“This industry is different than it used to be,” said Osborn. “This is not a job, it’s a career. To be in your late 20s and making a really good income isn’t far out. It is an obtainable goal if you have the drive.”
To learn how to get involved in the HDD industry, contact your local Vermeer dealer or HDDCircuit@vermeer.com.
Advice or suggestions provided by Osborn are statements of general applicability that may or may not apply to businesses or individuals, whose circumstances and operations may vary. The opinions of Mr. Osborn do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its dealers or its affiliates.