The evolution of industry training processes

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about the different routes available to getting the training your team needs to achieve success in the coatings industry.  

In the inaugural episode of CoatingsTalk, host Heidi J. Ellsworth met with Johnny Walker from APOC Roofing to talk about contractors’ needs for training and the benefits to come from implementing training courses. Johnny is the national technical manager for APOC and has worked with them for over 14 years now, totaling over 40 years in and around the industry. Through his years of experience, he has seen the need for training at all levels. He explained, “In our industry, that improper training leads to so much liability and so much just bad feelings about restorations in general, coatings.” No matter how effective a coating is, if it is applied incorrectly the waterproofing system will not work and the customer may be put off from utilizing the power of coatings. Johnny went on to explain the ties between the labor shortage and training. He shared, “The construction industry is hurting so bad for good, qualified, trained people. Having the ability to train and get out there, and not just the guy out in the field, but the people who are selling it as well, is key.” He went on to describe different strategies for giving individuals training, specifically hands-on versus virtual.  

The classic, sitting down and teaching face-to-face is still a great way to learn. Johnny spoke of APOC’s training opportunities in this style, “We do a lot of hands-on, we have classrooms, several different locations in the country.” While these classes focus on certain roles in the industry as different information is needed for those in different positions, there is an overall emphasis on the fact that every part of a roof is a part of a system, and it will only succeed as a system. 

Then, the digital age has heralded in an era of virtual training, precisely like this interview with Johnny, which is one of CoatingsCoffeeShop’s™ educational webinars! Johnny explained that this isn’t the only webinar he teaches, “I do multiple webinars or Teams calls every week, throughout the country. It's just the easiest way to get to somebody quickly.” 

No matter how someone is trained, it is key to understand coatings as a system. Johnny reiterated, “To really get our industry on track and doing good quality work, we've got to make sure that everybody gets fully trained.” 

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar to learn more about training in the industry.