New program at Gateway Community College prepares future maintenance techs in Phoenix

By Kelly Graham

Maintenance talent is currently the most soughtafter talent in our industry. With so many people spending more time at home, the need for repairs and maintenance has increased significantly.

Maintenance roles make up nearly 29% of all apartment jobs postings this quarter, up 3% from last year. Meanwhile, establishing a reliable pipeline of maintenance talent remains a major challenge in the industry.

In early 2019, NAA and the Arizona Multihousing Association teamed up to address this growing industry-wide need for skilled maintenance talent by piloting a training and internship program.

The program was collaboratively designed by AMA, the NAA Education Institute and several individual companies and training organizations. The design process was led by Grads of Life, a nonprofit workforce intermediary that helps companies develop innovative programs to bring young people into quality jobs.

The program involved training aligned with NAA’s CAMT and a 10week paid internship for young adults. At the end of the 10-week internships, the companies that hosted the interns had the option to hire them full-time at no extra cost. As a result of this small pilot, 10 young people were placed into maintenance technician roles. The success of the program was exciting, but expansion was halted due to the onset of COVID-19.

Now, in continued partnership with Grads of Life, AMA has formalized the components of the successful pilot program through a collaboration with Gateway Community College in Phoenix. The result is a new course, the first apartment maintenance program at Gateway.

The course includes a paid internship and Grads of Life’s professional skills curriculum, Career Labs. Career Labs teaches important professional skills like collaboration, problem solving and time management. These two components were fundamental to the success of the pilot program.

A paid internship opens the opportunity to many people that otherwise could not afford to get into this career. Professional skills training sets them up for long-term success.

The new course is offered at flexible times through the technical side of the college and serves as a pathway into a middle-skill job.

“This program is a path to earn an affordable education and advance your skills through a rigorous curriculum and hands-on practical application in the apartment maintenance field,” said Program Manager Mark Woehl.

Apartment maintenance technician roles provide advantages that other maintenance jobs do not – most importantly, a clear career path to earning up to $100,000 per year as a regional maintenance manager.

In addition, Phoenix area property management companies will benefit from a strong pipeline of pre-trained, local talent for these in-demand roles. The program was established to help build stronger businesses in the industry and support the Phoenix community more broadly.

Potential students or anyone interested in helping with instruction, please reach out to Stephanie Martinez at stephanie.m.martinez@ gatewaycc.edu or (602) 238-4392.

Interested trainees may apply at admissions.maricopa.edu.