Much has been written and said about the difficulty in finding staff. Obviously the horticultural trades are having a problem attracting young people. So are many other industries. In general terms, jobs involving physical work are totally out of favor with the current crop of young people. All the building and manufacturing trades are complaining as strongly as ours.
Recently I attended a meeting with horticultural college instructors and program administrators. Horticultural enrollment numbers continue to fall. The colleges and trade schools offering such programs are struggling to find more students. They are investing time and money into the hunt.
Culturally our nation has built an expectation that young people will go into “white collar” jobs. One college program leader said that when he attends career functions he must overcome the “Mom” effect. If the child is interested in the landscape trades, their mother is saying no way. But why?
The moms have the perception that our industry is just a “summer-job” type business with no growth potential. You know what I mean, it’s like the 30 year experienced irrigation tech who said his family still thinks he mows grass.
I will add from a conversation I had with a middle school councilor. After telling her about our industry’s problem in attracting young people, she said, “Well we tell kids they need to go to college and become a teacher.” The go-for-the-white-collar job message is what kids hear at home and at many schools.
Such a waste! How many teachers do we need? Sadly, kids are missing out on a secure career in an industry paying higher than average wages and offering fast advancement. The horticultural businesses are big and growing. We’re an easy industry to enter and advance. We’re an easy industry to start a company in. I think we’re an interesting and extremely enjoyable industry in which to build a good occupation.
New Hire Issues You Face
Critical Thinking
Educators report that critical thinking skills have been dropping. Now to the point that even common sense is suffering! Critical thinking is crucial for anyone to achieve success. How is an irrigation tech going to diagnose a wiring problem if they cannot practice critical thinking? You cannot build a company without such skills.
A professor said there is a lot of “group think” with the kids he’s teaching now. If one kid does something, others will blindly follow along and do the same thing without question. A problem when what the fist kid did was wrong.
That teacher wonders if kids are growing up with overly protective parents and teachers who tell them what to do about everything. Are these kids growing up missing the opportunity to try on their own and fail? The key to true learning.
Good news; critical thinking is a learned skill, as long as a person knows there is a problem and is willing to invest some effort.
Speaking and Writing
Educators also say young people are less able to effectively speak before a crowd or with an individual. Same for writing skills. While poor speaking and writing skills are crippling, they are not deadly for production type jobs. However that person will find it difficult to advance.
Good news; like critical thinking, speaking and writing can be learned. Since what kids are lacking can be learned, companies are finding it necessary to teach young employees their missing skills. Several corporations now have reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking classes new employees must complete.
Your on boarding process will likely have to address the shortfalls many of your new hires have. A mistake is to assume new hires know how to solve a problem, talk with customers, use our tools, or write anything. As a professor at a local college, I have been amazed at how many of my students cannot do basic math, don’t know how to operate a calculator, have the writing skills of a 4th grader, nor know how to read a scale.
Scope of the Problem
Using demographic data from a few years ago, an educator at the meeting calculated that on current trajectory, in 10 years more than 50% of the people in the horticultural trades will be over 65 years old. That’s retirement age! By the way, many of those folks are the owners of the companies in business right now.
How is our industry (and many others) going to handle this eventual outflow of knowledge and experienced people? Obviously we need more young people.
Solutions
Sounds bleak, right? Well nothing is ever as bad as it sounds. Yes, finding help is a problem we all face right now and it’s been that way for many years. But, demographics and attitudes will change. Long term I am an optimist. People will see opportunity and gravitate towards it. Our goal is to hasten their insight!
Collages and trade schools are partnering with industry associations and businesses to do student outreach. How else will our industry attract people other than going to where they are and talking with them? Our industry must do a continual sales job to attract people in. We have a good message, we just need to spread it.
Many school systems are ramping up career education in their middle and high schools. This can be a pot of gold; as can talking with teachers/councilors so they understand the opportunities our industry offers. The ONLA is doing a high school landscape olympics program at ATI. Last I heard a couple hundred kids were signed up. I anxiously await the results!
Could this be one issue alone that becomes the primary reason many industry associations exist? Attracting and educating our future employees may be the reason that will gain and keep association members.
Here’s a little tip. Your next good employee is working somewhere else right now. The long term unemployed are so for a reason and that reason renders many of them unsuited for you. Seek people with the right attitude and character, educate them with the technical skills and knowledge they need. Look outside the Green Industry. You can find eagles working at Lowes or the McDonalds down the street.
When you see the chance to help, your landscape industry sure could use your assistance. Answer the call to sell us to the world!
