Since Flagship launched its trade school partnership program just six short months ago, it has grown to include 33 partner institutions and reach hundreds of students pursuing careers in facilities maintenance.
Through the partnership program, Flagship aims to build relationships with students, graduates, alumni, and staff at participating trade schools and match them with career opportunities at client sites across the U.S.
“Partnering with trade schools and universities has been mutually beneficial,” said Zach Klein, Flagship Community Outreach & Recruitment Specialist. “Flagship is able to get involved in the local communities we serve. And in return, we help graduates find jobs that align with their educational and professional journeys.”
The Truth About Trades
A trade school or technical school is a postsecondary educational institution that trains students for a specific job or skilled trade career. These programs provide hands-on training to prepare students for work in their chosen field. Skilled trade workers include mechanics, electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, painters, and everything in between.
But there’s a growing shortage of skilled trade workers that can be attributed to several factors: Baby Boomers are retiring in droves, vocational education is disappearing from schools, and many career seekers are led to believe that a four-year degree is their only option.
In reality, skilled trade work is some of the most rewarding work available to laborers today. Because the demand for skilled workers is so much greater than the supply, trade careers typically offer fair pay, good benefits, and long-term stability. Flagship is proud to provide its employees with all these advantages and more.
How Partnerships Work
Flagship established its partnership program by reaching out to trade schools with programs that align closely with the company’s hiring needs. Some partner schools offer formal facilities maintenance programs, while others train students in specific skilled trades, such as HVAC, plumbing, or refrigeration.
With campuses across the country, Lincoln Tech and Fortis College are two of Flagship’s key partners. Recruiters regularly participate in job fairs, classroom visits, and virtual meet-and-greets at these schools as well as other community colleges, training centers, and technical institutes.
Typically, students and new graduates submit their resume during or as a follow-up to these events, with the hope of being matched with a position at Flagship. Sometimes a match occurs immediately, and other times, resumes are filed away so that recruiters can come back to them as new positions become available.
Flagship has hired five people – from the Interactive College of Technology, Trident Technical College, Institute for Business & Technology, and Brownson Technical School – as a direct result of the partnership program. These hires work at different Flagship sites as entry-level Maintenance Technicians.
Looking Ahead
Flagship has exciting plans to expand its partnership program, which include cultivating relationships with new schools, strengthening existing partnerships, and developing a robust pipeline of job candidates from which hiring managers can reliably fill open positions.
Recruiters have also begun targeting schools in the Boston area, where DENS Facility Services (a Flagship company) is helping people discover non-traditional career pathways into facilities services in the Life Sciences and healthcare industries.
Next year, Flagship and DENS will launch a paid internship program to train interns in general building maintenance. Flagship looks to hire four maintenance/facilities technician interns – two in the San Jose area and two in the Boston area.
Beyond giving trade school graduates a foot in the facilities maintenance door, Flagship is focused on providing them with meaningful work experiences and retaining their talent for years to come.
For more information about Flagship careers, visit our job page.
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