You hear it on television, read it online and see it in trade publications; there is a huge shortage of skilled labor in the United States — and it’s getting worse. According to the National Association of Home Builders, as of May 2017, there were an estimated 200,000 construction job openings waiting to be filled in the U.S. That’s an 81 percent increase over the last two years.
With statistics like this, it’s no wonder horizontal directional drilling (HDD) contractors are struggling to find experienced operators to join their crews. And, it’s why many business owners are investing in training their employees.
According to Ray Sakolari, owner of Rays Electrical in Elgin, Illinois, when his company added HDD to its service offerings in 2013, they relied heavily on a couple of experienced operators, as well as the support of their dealer, Vermeer Midwest.
“Before investing in our own equipment and crew, we subbed out HDD work,” he explained. “A big contract that involved installing electrical lines under the parking lots of more than 25 Menards prompted us to start the HDD side of our business.
“Our dealer helped us determine what equipment and tooling we needed,” Sakolari continued. “We added a couple of people who had worked on HDD crews before. That approach gave us a good start, but as time has passed, finding good reliable help has been a challenge.”
Investing in education
An expanding workload and frustration with a lack of quality applicants has led to Sakolari taking a different approach.
“For the long-term success and growth of the business, I decided awhile back that we needed to develop an apprenticeship program and train our own operators,” Sakolari explained. “However, I knew that we didn’t know everything we needed to properly train a new crew member.”
After doing a bit of research, and talking with the team and Vermeer Midwest, Sakolari enrolled in the Vermeer HDD Circuit® Training Program to learn from the experts. The two-week comprehensive course pairs Vermeer HDD training experts with a small group of novices and experienced operators to focus on improving their operating and locating skills. This program is also designed to give operators the knowledge they need to better plan bores, mix drilling fluids, ensure a safe working environment and properly maintain drilling equipment.
Gaining expertise
Sakolari went through the Vermeer HDD Circuit training program earlier this year and is now using what he learned to create a set of standard operating procedures for his crew, as well as to train new employees.
“I gained a lot of knowledge in a short period of time; it was an outstanding program,” Sakolari said.
More specifically, Sakolari said the time spent discussing how to plan a bore, the tools they need to be successful and the in-depth review of the instruction manuals the Vermeer training team supplied attendees with will go a long way in helping him establish a process to train his team.
For Sakolari, another benefit of the course was the time he spent learning about mixing drilling fluids.
“I guess you could say we did a lot of ‘guesstimating’ before,” he said. “Now, I understand all of the different materials available and how to properly mix them to match the needs on a particular project.”
Applying knowledge
“Moving forward, we’re going to make more of an effort to find ambitious individuals that are eager to learn the business, and then invest the time to show them all of the ins and outs of HDD operations,” Sakolari said. “I believe this approach will help us continue to grow the business and help make us a more efficient team.”
Establishing your own training program
If you’re struggling to find experienced operators, perhaps it’s time to make an investment in developing the skills of quality people. If you’re not sure where to start, contact your local Vermeer dealer or fill out this form to get more information about the Vermeer HDD Circuit training program.
This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Testimonials and/or endorsements by contractors in specific circumstances may not be representative of normal circumstances experienced by all customers.
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