Veterans make good job candidates. Military experience comes with a heightened work ethic and sense of responsibility. Many veterans have experience working outdoors and with their hands. They are used to being team members. Coming out of the military, however, veterans may find themselves at a loss for a career path. HVAC may be the answer.
“Veterans are used to getting up early, being on time, wearing a uniform, and they are dedicated and committed,” says Marvin Key, CEO and Co-Founder of ForgeNow, a training program for HVAC and electrical trades. “Veterans are a large percentage of our best graduates.”
ForgeNow seeks to address the shortage of skilled HVAC workers in the Dallas, Texas, community and throughout the country. Key says the intensive eight-week course provides benefits comparable with two years of on-the-job training. At a community college or vocational school, such a course might take from 12 to 24 months.
Bootcamp-style curriculum
Currently the courses cover residential HVAC and residential electrician. They will expand into industrial and commercial over time, and later add curricula for plumbing and maintenance technicians.
Progress is analyzed and assessed weekly, and graduates are credentialed and ready to work
Attendees train like the military trains. The school is intensive, immersive, and full-time with a bootcamp-style curriculum. Trainees are equipped with a full uniform including work slacks, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and work boots, along with tools and a tool bag, all included in tuition. Training is from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. five days a week. Progress is analyzed and assessed weekly, and graduates are credentialed and ready to work.
“We try to hold our graduates to a level they are not accustomed to,” says Key. ForgeNow opened for classes in January 2020, and soon faced challenges from the coronavirus pandemic. However, while other education alternatives transitioned to video and distance learning during the worst of the pandemic, the program continued to operate in person (and safely), providing hands-on education throughout the pandemic.
Social distancing
During the pandemic, ForgeNow followed all city of Dallas protocols, including sanitizing facilities and social distancing. They were approved to remain open during lockdown because they were training essential employees.
The veteran-owned business is targeting the military demographic as an important pool of enrollees
“It’s been a challenging year and a half, but I am excited about the trends,” says Key. “Short-term immersive training in the way to go. The success speaks for itself.”
In addition to serving former military students, ForgeNow also has several vets on the staff, including Co-Founder Rob Holmes, a combat veteran and West Point grad, as well as an instructor who is a Marine. All the instructors have experience in the HVAC industry. The veteran-owned business is targeting the military demographic as an important pool of enrollees.
GI Bill benefits
Fully licensed and approved as an education facility in Texas, the program is eligible for federal training grants for the underemployed, Title IV federal financial aid funding, and veteran students can use their GI Bill benefits.
ForgeNow is actively engaged with the U.S. Army Reserve and was chosen as a public/private partnership company
A former Air Force recruiter, now retired, helps with enlisting students. Recruitment has accelerated recently; for a while, the pandemic prevented recruitment activities such as career fairs. ForgeNow is actively engaged with the U.S. Army Reserve and was chosen as a public/private partnership company. They work with Fort Hood, Killeen, Texas, the largest active U.S. military base, to attract candidates, and they promote the programs via social media.
While welcoming to anybody, ForgeNow has identified three constituencies who are likely students. One is the U.S. veteran in transition, either from a non-commissioned or enlisted position, who is looking for new opportunities after their service.
Recidivism
Another constituency is the “second-chance community,” those who were formerly incarcerated and have been carefully screened as appropriate candidates. They work with reentry programs to clarify and understand the appropriate candidates, which are accepted on a case-by-case basis.
One of the best ways to keep an inmate from going back into the system is a good job and career
In serving “second-chance” students, ForgeNow helps to address the problem of recidivism: nationally, roughly 70% of inmates who are released will end up back behind bars. One of the best ways to keep an inmate from going back into the system is a good job and career.
ForgeNow works with a handful of high-quality, faith-based reentry programs that recruit candidates from within the walls of prisons and help them develop life skills. The Prison Entrepreneurship Program in Texas has only a 7% recidivism rate. Inmates enrolled in such programs get new responsibilities and show initiative. ForgeNow participates in career nights sponsored by these organizations to recruit students for their HVAC career program.
New citizen communities
“We can provide training to give them an opportunity for skills and knowledge that will never leave them,” says Key. “So far, we have had more success stories than not. We are changing lives. We started this curriculum as a for-profit endeavor. I for one sorely underestimated the good will and societal contribution that training can make.”
ForgeNow is currently working with a non-profit organization to enroll 16 Afghan refugees
The third constituency includes “new citizen communities,” including immigrants. For example, ForgeNow is currently working with a non-profit organization to enroll 16 Afghan refugees who have a history with the U.S. military.
There is a capacity of 100 students in the 20,000-square-foot facility, with one-third of the space dedicated to classrooms. There is also a 10,000-square-foot lab for in-person training on various equipment.
Placing graduates
Attracting students has been a challenge during the pandemic and its aftermath; in October, the program had 17 students. However, they have trained 150 students since the program began in January 2020.
Placing graduates is among the company’s missions. “We are currently working to broaden the list of contractors/employers around the country who are welcoming to our graduates,” says Key. The network is a work-in-progress, but 100% of graduates in 2021 had job offers. As enrollment grows, it will take additional effort to maintain that level.