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Roadmap

Grow Your Facilities Talent Through Upskilling Programs

Stakeholder Education
The case for investing in a talent development program

Facilities talent development programs do not need to be resource-intensive, but they may require securing buy-in. In addition to campus-specific data on vacancies and time-to-fill, Facilities leaders can use national data to communicate the talent crunch crisis and advocate for greater upskilling resources.

build your case for investing in talent development
Decision Support
Determine talent development program type and focus

An institution’s current and future staffing needs should determine which trades their program will focus on training and which type of program to pursue. Facilities leaders should use workforce data, internal capacity evaluations, and certifications requirements to decide between the different upskilling program structures.

Determine your program
Analyze internal workforce data to predict any future needs
The University of Arizona used vacancy projections to inform its apprenticeship program. Then, assuming a retirement age of 65, Arizona projected out how many vacancies they might experience across the next decade.
Determine program viability to evaluate whether an in-house talent development program is right for your campus
Take our quiz to evaluate how viable an in-house program is for you
Determine best-fit program type—if you need to fill roles that require certification, an apprenticeship program may be right
Consider these three prompts to determine the right program type
Actionable Tip

For U.S. institutions that opt for an apprenticeship program, leaders must then decide whether to register the program with the U.S. government. Registration or non-registration will determine the design and competencies required for the apprenticeship.

Choose your registration status
Action Support
Create an operational plan and program infrastructure

No matter the program type, in-house Facilities talent development programs all require certain operational components to be successful. At a basic level, there are four components Facilities leaders must include in preparation.

Assign leadership responsibilities
Decide who has decision-making authority over the program, how quality assurance will function, who will own participant evaluation, and who will manage the day to day of the program.
Determine program costs
While starting a program requires upfront time and resources, these programs do not require significant ongoing expenditures—some institutions even report saving money by using apprentices.
Identify funding sources
Common funding sources are vacant salary lines, chargebacks, central funding, and government funding. Speak with the institution’s government agency contact about applying for grants and tax credits, and encourage program participants to utilize the available grants and loans.
Set program goals and evaluation mechanisms
The program’s effectiveness shout be consistently monitored. This requires that program decision-makers first establish program outcomes, goals, and metrics to track.
Action Support
Design and staff a successful upskilling program

The core of any talent development program consists of trainers and the content they teach. This step is the crux of any program and can therefore feel overwhelming for leaders. However, so many resources exist to support program development that leaders shouldn’t start from scratch. Instead, they should use the resources linked below to identify appropriate partners and determine competencies. 

 

Select a training partner
Most institutions rely on traditional training partners, such as community colleges, vocational schools, and unions. However, there is a growing number of nontraditional partners available, including online training programs.
Select mentor(s) to lead on-the-job training
Facilities leaders generally rely on their most tenured and experienced staff to serve as mentors. Consider their ability to teach and their capacity for patience.
Determine required competencies
If a U.S. institution plans to register its apprenticeship program, it should use government guidelines to determine competencies. Alternatively, institutions can assemble a team to collaboratively select competencies.
Build training schedule
To build a good course schedule, be sure to designate class names and groupings, preview course hours, and document the delivery method of the course.
Complete necessary program documentation
Most talent development programs require some amount of paperwork; this is particularly true for DOL-registered apprenticeship programs. Use this checklist to track common program and participant registration and administration forms.
Action Support
Recruit program candidates

The final step is to recruit candidates for the program. Successful institutions point to their web presence as a critical entry point for interested applicants. Two great examples include the University of Virginia and the University of Arizona.

  • Explore University of Virginia’s Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program here
  • Explore University of Arizona’s Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program here

 

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Additional Tool

In the midst of a labor shortage and increased competition from the private sector, facilities leaders are seeing more staff turnover. The cost of turnover for some skilled trades positions—candidate recruitment, new employee onboarding, lost productivity—can be as high as 200% of the position’s annual salary.

To ensure the best new hire, facilities teams have started using behavioral-based interview (BBI) questions to evaluate candidates. BBI enables managers to identify candidates who are both technical and cultural fits by auditing concrete examples from past experiences, signaling how the candidate will likely perform in the future. Candidates who spike on both technical and cultural alignment are more likely to attach to the college or university and are less likely to turn over.

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