With tough times come tough decisions. Companies across the board – and particularly those in the mechanical industries – are right now weighing the pros and cons of cutting everything from payroll expenses to marketing programs.

Unfortunately, safety training is not exempt. As business owners look for ways to hunker down in order to maintain profitability, programs like these are often among those first on the chopping block.

What’s more, employers are decreasing the size and scope of their workforce, leaving the most affordable – but not necessarily the most experienced – workers to man the ship. Ineffective or non-existent training, especially when combined with a reduced workforce, is a dangerous combination.

A recent survey conducted by MEP Jobs – a niche job board serving the mechanical, electrical and plumbing industries – indicates that more and more companies are making the perilous decision to cut back or eliminate training programs in 2009.

The results of the survey – taken by 300 mechanical, electrical, facilities, utilities and plumbing professionals in the field – show signs of an extremely lax attitude toward training among MEP employers. Ninety percent of the survey’s respondents were over the age of 31, and 62 percent were currently employed when the survey was conducted in late December 2008.

Of those responding to the survey questions, 15 percent said their company’s training budget is going down in 2009 while another 45 percent said their employer did not have a budget for training at all. Fifty-five percent of the survey respondents said they funded their last professional certification training and testing costs with money from their own pockets.

The later result is evidence that employees in these segments of the market take professional development seriously. They are eager for employers to take on the role of investing in industry improvement through the education of its laborers.


New Employees Are the Most at Risk

When asked about the last time they were trained in a work-related safety procedure or process, more than 25 percent of respondents either couldn’t remember or hadn’t been trained yet. While it’s likely many of these respondents were newly employed, that’s no excuse for their employers’ failure to provide training, especially when we know that new employee orientation is one of the most important training opportunities presented to an employer.

How do we know this? Because nearly half of all workers injured on the job have been with their company less than a year.

Employees new to the industry lack the experience to conduct themselves in a safe manner. Experienced workers who are new to their particular company can make mistakes because they aren’t used to that firm’s specific equipment, communications or procedures.

New employees are fresh, generally positive and looking for direction. It’s the perfect time to instill company values and educate workers on the value of safety on the job.
That said, orientation training can be among the most difficult programs to implement because of fluctuations in new-hire numbers and start dates.

There are a number of online, on-demand training programs that can make this type of first-day training much more cost-effective and less time-consuming to implement. They are easy to find and can make a drastic improvement in how employees view their firm’s commitment to training and education.


It’s Not All Bad News

There is another way to analyze the results of the MEP Jobs survey. The fact that so many companies are reducing or eliminating training provides an outstanding opportunity to those business owners who aren’t cutting education. For firms looking to differentiate themselves, promoting their commitment to training is a great way to attract the most qualified candidates.

During a time when many are looking for jobs, it can be difficult to weed out those candidates best for the job. And a potential employee who is attracted to a robust training program is one likely to view the position as more than just a job; rather he sees it as a stepping stone in his long-term career. These are exactly the type of employees for which many companies are searching.

Strengthening commitment to safety training in 2009 will not only provide firms with better employees and higher retention, it will greatly improve the quality and safety of the entire industry’s workforce. It’s true that funding these programs may be tough, but business owners who think creatively and tap the resources of the on-demand and affordable services provided via the Internet will have a major leg up – both now and when the economy improves.



Jeff Dickey-Chasins is the Vice President of Marketing for MEP Job, located in Urbandale, Iowa. He may be contacted at jeffdc@mepjobs.com.