INVEST IN TRAINING You need to do something for the future of your company — and investing in the futures of your employees will pay dividends for many years to come. BY ERIC KNAAK
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any of us have heard the expression, “What happens if I train someone and they leave?” This, of course, should be followed by the response, “What happens if you don’t train them, and they stay?” Many have wrestled with these questions at some point in their management and leadership careers, me included. I figured out early on, however, that it was much more beneficial to my organization if we provide our people with the education and training, they need to advance in their careers. It’s not easy, it’s not cheap and it doesn’t happen quickly
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When we train somebody, we show them how to do something but when we educate them, we help them to understand the “why” behind what they’re doing. — but education and training can easily be the most important piece of developing a heating and air conditioning professional.
GROW YOUR TALENT It’s no surprise that many of us are struggling to locate the talent that we need to fulfill the demands of our clients. Experienced HVACR professionals are difficult to find, so what do you do?
HVACR BUSINESS AUGUST 2021
One solution has been to find people who have the basic necessary skills to perform this type of work and then to educate, train and develop them to the point where they feel comfortable and competent at what they’re doing — but the education doesn’t stop there. Continuing education is the key to developing a well-rounded professional
and, while we expect them to do some learning on their own, the primary responsibility comes down to the company and making sure our teammates have the resources necessary to further their careers.
TRAINING VS. EDUCATING It’s obvious that the number one priority in training your technicians is on the technical side, they need to be able to do the work in front of them. I often use the word educate when it comes to developing technicians and installers because education is more encompassing than training. When we train somebody, we show them how to do
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