Wrench Group

Julie Anderson

Workforce development has become one of the most pressing business challenges of 2025, with the skilled trades industry continuing to face labor shortages and high turnover. McKinsey estimates that turnover in the skilled trades costs U.S. companies more than $5.3 billion annually, while Gallup reports that replacing a technical worker can cost up to 80 percent of their salary. Keeping this in mind, academy-style training programs have emerged as a best practice for building talent pipelines, improving retention and elevating performance across the industry.

A Scalable Model for Talent Development

Internal training programs can function as a strategic advantage for any company looking to improve. By investing in structured learning, companies can reduce turnover, ensure consistency in skills and safety and foster employee loyalty.

For example, Wrench Group’s academy programs, led by Morris-Jenkins, Service Champions and Coolray, offer a scalable approach that integrates classroom instruction and field experience across multiple locations, all while ensuring a steady pipeline of trained technicians while aligning new hires to company culture and standards.

Best Practices Emerging From the Field

The goal should always be to recruit for mindset, not experience. Instead, recruiting individuals with mechanical aptitude, strong communication skills and a willingness to learn has proven to yield long-term success.

In my experience, companies get the best results when they train the whole technician. For example, our academy programs combine technical training with life skills such as communication, time management, and professionalism. This holistic approach prepares technicians not just to complete jobs, but to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Lastly, always provide hands-on mentorship to employees. For example, at one of our locations, we pair every trainee with a certified instructor, ensuring real-world exposure from day one. Pairing mentorship with licensing and certification support creates a clear career path, which is essential for retention.

Why In-House Training is Becoming the New Standard

As labor shortages persist, the industry is moving away from a “hire and replace” mindset instead shifting focus to “internal hiring” strategies. Developing talent in-house is proving to be more costeffective and sustainable than relying mainly on external hiring. By cultivating skilled trades professionals internally, companies are able to control the quality of training, shorten the ramp-up period and build employee loyalty through visible career progression.

Other companies are beginning to adopt similar academystyle programs, recognizing that this approach not only addresses immediate staffing needs but also strengthens their long-term competitive advantage.

Bridging the Leadership Gap in the Skilled Trades

Talent shortages in the skilled trades don’t stop at the technician level—they extend all the way to leadership. Many senior field technicians aren’t immediately ready to step into leadership roles, a common challenge across the trades. That’s why cultivating internal talent must go beyond technical skills and focus on leadership development.

Investing in in-house leadership training tailored for senior technicians is a powerful way to prepare them for the next step. These programs should focus on foundational leadership skills, such as communication, team management and decision-making, to help high-performing technicians become confident, effective leaders.

To further strengthen the pipeline, companies can expand this effort by offering advanced leadership curriculums for highpotential internal talent. This kind of intensive, tiered development covering everything from running a profitable business to advanced leadership strategy ensures a deep bench of ready-now leaders at the senior and executive levels.

Shaping the Future of the Trades

By investing in in-house training programs and developing a curriculum to train individuals with the potential to become great technicians and leaders, companies can transform entry-level recruits into confident, skilled professionals prepared for leadership roles. Paid training, mentorship, certification support and ongoing education form the foundation of a culture where employees are valued and supported at every stage of their careers.

In a rapidly evolving market, this kind of systematic, scalable investment in workforce development is becoming a staple for industry leaders. By building talent pipelines from within, companies aren’t just responding to the labor shortage, they’re helping to define the future of the skilled trades.