Elevator Workforce Development | Delaware Elevator
Elevator Workforce Development: Preparing the Next Generation
Elevator workforce development is essential to the future of the vertical transportation industry. As experienced elevator professionals retire, the industry must introduce more students, young adults and career changers to the rewarding opportunities available in the skilled trades.
Delaware Elevator is addressing this challenge through youth apprenticeships, hands-on career education, community partnerships and training opportunities for military veterans. These programs provide participants with practical experience while helping build the skilled workforce needed to support the elevator industry for generations to come.
Why Is Elevator Workforce Development Important?
The elevator industry offers many stable and rewarding careers that do not require a traditional four-year college degree. However, students are not always introduced to career paths in elevator construction, service, modernization, manufacturing, engineering and inspection while they are in school.
At the same time, the elevator workforce is aging, and the number of new professionals entering the industry has not kept pace with demand. Expanding apprenticeship and career education programs allows elevator companies to share valuable industry knowledge with the next generation before that experience is lost.
Delaware Elevator has made workforce development a priority by showing students that skilled trades can provide clear pathways to professional certifications, advancement and long-term careers.
Delaware Elevator’s Youth Apprenticeship Program
Delaware Elevator’s Youth Apprenticeship Program gives high school students an opportunity to receive on-the-job training, earn academic credit and learn directly from experienced elevator professionals.
In May 2024, Delaware Elevator celebrated the graduation of its first Maryland State-Registered Youth Apprentice, Cameron Carroll, a student from Wicomico High School. Carroll joined the program during his junior year after being connected with the company through Alison Cornish, Career and Technology Education workplace coordinator for Wicomico County Public Schools.
Before entering the field, Carroll completed a safety orientation and earned his OSHA 30 certification. He then worked alongside Delaware Elevator construction crews at The Ross Building in Salisbury, Maryland.
During the project, Carroll gained experience with the installation of an eight-stop basement traction elevator and two 14-stop overhead traction elevators. He worked under the guidance of experienced elevator professionals who taught him the importance of safety, attention to detail, asking questions and maintaining a willingness to learn.
Carroll later transitioned to Delaware Elevator’s Service Department, where he continued developing his skills with Certified Elevator Technician mentors. After completing his youth apprenticeship, he prepared to enter the Certified Elevator Technician Apprenticeship Program administered through Delaware Elevator, the National Association of Elevator Contractors and the Maryland Department of Labor.
His experience demonstrates how youth apprenticeships can create a direct path from high school to a skilled, in-demand career.
Introducing Students to Elevator Industry Careers
Delaware Elevator regularly participates in school presentations and youth outreach initiatives throughout Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. These programs introduce students to career opportunities they may not encounter through traditional classroom education.
Since 2019, Delaware Elevator has participated in Junior Achievement’s annual JA Inspire event. The event brings thousands of students together to explore careers available within their local communities.
In 2023, Delaware Elevator expanded its partnership with Junior Achievement by opening an interactive storefront at the JA Perdue Henson Center. The Delaware Elevator storefront can reach as many as 10,000 students each year through hands-on career simulations.
Students can explore roles such as CEO, CFO, engineer, welder, sales representative and elevator mechanic. The space includes a Nano Elevator donated by ELEVATOR WORLD, a residential elevator cab manufactured by DEM Elevating Equipment and an augmented reality welding simulator from Miller.
These interactive experiences help students understand that the elevator industry includes far more than field installation and repair. It also provides careers in manufacturing, engineering, technology, sales, safety, education, operations and business leadership.
Elevator Apprenticeship Opportunities for Veterans
Delaware Elevator’s workforce development efforts also support military veterans transitioning into civilian careers.
The company is approved for participation in GI Bill apprenticeship programs through the Veterans Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity Reform initiative. Eligible veterans pursuing elevator industry careers may be able to use their GI Bill benefits to supplement on-the-job training and classroom instruction while working toward professional credentials.
Veterans often enter the workforce with leadership experience, technical abilities, discipline and a strong commitment to safety. These qualities can translate well into elevator construction, service, modernization and manufacturing careers.
By connecting veterans with apprenticeship opportunities, Delaware Elevator supports those who have served while strengthening the skilled-trade workforce.
Building the Future of the Elevator Industry
Strong elevator workforce development requires partnerships among employers, schools, community organizations, industry associations and government agencies. Through these partnerships, students and veterans can receive the education, mentorship and experience needed to succeed.
Delaware Elevator remains committed to developing future elevator professionals through apprenticeship, technical education and hands-on training. By introducing more people to the skilled trades, the company is helping preserve essential industry knowledge and prepare the elevator workforce for the future.
Adapted from “Workforce Development,” written by Charley Meeks-Crystle and Georgeta Lazar Wainwright and published in the August 2024 edition of ELEVATOR WORLD.