Elevating Talent

How the elevator industry succeeded at SkillsUSA’s NLSC in Atlanta

by Dot Mynahan
images courtesy of NEII

For the past three years, the National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) has partnered with the National Elevator Industry Education Program (NEIEP) and the Elevator Industry Work Preservation Fund (EIWPF) to expand its recruitment efforts for the NEII apprenticeship program to include SkillsUSA students. SkillsUSA is a career and technical student organization that helps students develop technical, academic and employability skills for successful career paths by offering educational programs, events and competitions to support what they’ve learned in the classroom. This year, SkillsUSA hosted its National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Atlanta, where gold medal winners from each state in 114 different skill areas competed for the national championship. It was a high-energy, intense week of competition and a great opportunity for the elevator industry to speak to these state champions and their advisors about how their skills can transfer to NEII’s apprenticeship program. And, in a thrilling end to the week, NEII was proud to watch Ethan Thompson, son of International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 17 mechanic Gary Thompson, win the gold medal in Industrial Motor Control! 

Organizers estimate the conference drew more than 19,000 attendees, including 6,900 student competitors and 1,300 advisors. For an industry like ours that is seeking multidisciplinary problem-solvers — equal parts electrical, mechanical, digital and safety-minded — the NLSC offers an unmatched density of pre-qualified prospects and educators. According to Amy Blankenbiller, executive director of NEII:

“SkillsUSA NLSC proves that when educators, industry leaders and unions come together, we can inspire and prepare the next generation of elevator mechanics. These students bring the skill, drive and fresh ideas that will lift our trade — and our communities — to new heights.”

A Unified Presence — With a Bigger Footprint

Since NEII started participating in the NLSC, NEII, NEIEP and EIWPF have anchored a booth built to increase awareness of the elevator and escalator industry as a viable career option for these state champion students in the skilled trades. This year, the elevator industry was one of three Try-A-Skill booths, which blended engagement with career messaging in a high-energy environment. Students cycled through four hands-on challenges meant to reinforce the diversity of skills used in our industry and pique the interest of these top-performing skilled trades students. Moreover, NEII updated its messaging to focus on “Transferring Your Skills to the Elevator Industry” to highlight the skills under development in areas such as electrical, welding, carpentry and other skills used every day by our field employees.

Try-A-Skill challenges included:

• Measuring
• Rigging (Virtual Reality [VR])
• Troubleshooting an AC motor
• Wiring Run Buttons

Mechanics from NEII member companies and staff from NEIEP and NEII staffed the booth and engaged with students to highlight why the elevator industry would be a great career choice for them.

The final “challenge” gave students the opportunity to sign up to receive notifications about the next apprenticeship recruitment in their area. Several hundred students tookadvantage of this opportunity. In addition to signing up for notifications, students from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas were able to speak about upcoming recruitments with local NEIEP area coordinators who were working the booth.

Across social media, posts with photos showed steady traffic to the booth, including many state directors, close to 500 advisors and too many student competitors to count!

A Message That Landed: High Pay and Benefits, Long-lasting Careers and Public Safety

If the visuals drew the crowds, the value proposition kept them: paid apprenticeships, generous benefits and long-term stability in a trade central to modern life and public safety. “Earn While You Learn” and a free apprenticeship program leading to an outstanding career free of student loan debt were highly appealing to these gold-medal-winning state champions in their respective skilled trades. These students also understood the importance of a pension plan and annuity to their long-term financial success.

Cultivating Meaningful Connections

In addition to the Try-A-Skill booth, the elevator industry sponsored the State Directors’ Welcome Reception and the Call-to-Action breakfast for advisors. These events allowed NEII to start building long-term relationships, learn more about statewide SkillsUSA events and increase awareness of the elevator industry.

In the weeks since the event, NEII received several invitations to upcoming SkillsUSA state conferences and job fairs. And NEII has undertaken targeted outreach to state directors and their networks regarding apprenticeship recruitment opportunities in Arkansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin. The feedback from these contacts has been incredibly positive, reinforcing the power of building relationships and a consistent presence at the NLSC. NEII looks forward to seeing more SkillsUSA students transferring their skills to the elevator trade. 

Lifting Careers – and the Industry –to New Heights

NEII is excited about how far it has come with its SkillsUSA relationship in three years of increasingly expanding efforts. NEII will continue to work together with NEIEP and the EIWPF to build a strong pipeline of apprenticeship candidates from SkillsUSA, Helmets to Hardhats, legacy applicants and other outreach efforts.