From the inside, VCU builds the next generation in skilled trades

By Konrad Solberg

Amid a shortage of candidates, an aging workforce and advances in infrastructure and clean energy, the demand for skilled tradespeople is growing – including at Virginia Commonwealth University. For nearly a decade, a training program has extended VCU’s educational mission beyond lecture halls and labs and into mechanical rooms and rooftops.

The VCU Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program offers full-time employment to aspiring electricians, HVAC technicians and plumbers. Over their four years of training, participants enjoy financial benefits – including a rising pay scale and coverage of tuition and book expenses – as they train on the job and in classrooms. That combination addresses what often are barriers to higher education.

“I would never have thought that I would have any of this lined up,” said Lisa Marie Wright, who graduated this month from the program as a trained plumber after spending several years managing a convenience store near Monroe Park – and serving VCU maintenance employees who encouraged her to apply to the apprenticeship program. “They gave me an opportunity to prove that even though I didn’t know about the industry, I could do it.”

Apprentices complete more than 400 hours of classroom instruction to learn technical, workforce and academic competencies applicable to their trade – plus 8,000 hours of on-the-job training with their VCU professional colleagues.

The apprenticeship program began in 2017, and while Wright and some others are newcomers to their industry, others have work experience but seek the specialized environment VCU offers. Jason Brooks, an HVAC apprentice who previously worked for a private contractor, found that maintaining the infrastructure of a major university requires a broader skillset than residential work.

“I’ve gotten the chance to get my hands on a lot of different systems,” said Brooks, who graduated from the program this month. “I’ve learned a lot about how facilities and these bigger buildings operate as a whole.”

To ensure that apprentices are expanding their knowledge alongside their practical skills, the VCU program integrates its classroom time into the workweek. The skills they learn give the apprentices a breadth of knowledge that allows them to fill much-needed roles faster than traditional apprenticeship programs, said VCU facilities operations zone superintendent Anthony Cobb.

“The apprenticeship program has been a great resource in hiring for trades positions that previously took longer than expected to fill,” Cobb said. “By the end of the program, there is a qualified team member who knows the trade and the buildings.”

Wright and Brooks highlight the hands-on lab work and the support of experienced supervisors as the keys to their growth. By their third year in the program, both felt prepared to manage complex systems in their fields. And both plan to stay with VCU in the longer term and, they hope, move into supervisor roles.

Brooks noted that for individuals seeking a career path but worrying that learning a trade might be too challenging, the apprenticeship program facilitates a path forward.

“A lot of people get into this trade and feel overwhelmed,” he said. “But once you get in and start catching on, it gets easier. You just have to take that leap.”

Since its inception in 2017, the program has proven successful for many apprentices. Cameron White, who completed the final portion of the program last year, praised the program for teaching him invaluable practical skills. “I’m so appreciative of VCU for allowing me to participate in this program,” White said. “I was able to go to school to learn more about my field of interest, all while applying that knowledge and getting firsthand experience in my full-time job.”

For VCU, the rewards of the apprenticeship program work in both directions: The university is maintained by people who are intimately familiar with its facilities, and the apprentices can build their own legacy within VCU.

As Wright said, “the least I can do is show my gratitude for them giving me a chance.”