University Training in The Skilled Trades

West Virginia University came up with a very creative solution to finding and keeping their skilled/hourly talent in the facilities and operations area. They recently welcomed their first class of eight apprentices to full-time skilled trade positions as part of the University’s pilot Apprenticeship Program.

Here is a profile of this class of eight:
-Recent high school graduates
-Military veterans
-Technical school graduates

The group includes one semi-professional football player and two women.

The program is a collaboration between West Virginia University's Facilities Management department and the Division of Human Resources.

The program was developed to build and retain quality skilled staff in niche areas such as electrical, plumbing, carpentry, the general trades, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Per Randy Hudak, director of Facilities Management,“It combines hundreds of hours of on-the-job training with classroom instruction and mentoring.”