Wicked problems have been a huge part of our lives! Most of us know that the housing market has been a little crazy for the past few years. Some of that has been due to wicked problems like labor shortages, supply chain issues, and even land shortages in many parts of the country.   The labor shortage has been of interest to many people, me and my guest co-host for today included. So, we decided to do something about it!  I’m Marla, the Green Home Coach! Today I am joined by Will Blake, of Vesta Foundation Solutions in Oklahoma City. Will and I have worked together on several projects.  Today, we are talking about workforce development, particularly in the building industry and skilled trades.  Plumbers Lately, it could take weeks or even months to get a plumber to come out unless it’s an emergency, and you are willing to pay double.  A cascading labor shortage The labor shortage in the new build and remodeling industry is cascading! That’s because there aren’t enough people in the trades, especially the licensed trades.  Licensed trades  We are greying out in the licensed trades. That means that those who have been trained to become the backbone of the industry are retiring. So, why are there no people behind them as they choose to move on with their lives? A shrinking workforce Will’s construction company specializes in an unlicenced trade, and even so, they are still experiencing issues with supplies, rising costs, and a shrinking workforce.  Three categories Most people we converse with fit into one of three categories: Nobody wants to work in this category. (This is the largest category.) People in this category are trying to identify generational workplace inequalities or issues with safety, diversity, and inclusion.  People in this category want to know what we are going to do about the situation. (This is the smallest category. Will and I fit in here.) 2025 Almost 20% of our workforce will be aging out by 2025. Many of them will be taking all their knowledge, wisdom, hard skills, operational knowledge, and understanding of vendor relationships with them. Nearly 12% will come in to replace them, but that will be spread across all industries. Additional issues We did not get the population increase we were hoping for after Covid. Closing the borders and slowing down the movement of migrant workers into the country has also added to the problem of not being able to build enough houses. Technology Technology can provide some innovative new housing solutions, but there are still many missing pieces, and technology will not solve the hands-on labor problem. A difficult business Construction is a difficult business. 50% of businesses go out of business in the first five years. But in construction, it happens with 75% of businesses. Purpose Will’s company does foundation repair, concrete lifting, wood floor system repair, crawl spaces, and drainage. As a company, they tie its purpose back to the concept of the broken window theory, which is all about caring for infrastructure. So even if their efforts do not directly help the company, they are meant to indirectly support the industry and fix the problem with staffing, supply chain issues, etc. No one to do repairs If no people are available to do the necessary repairs to our homes and businesses, it means that either they won’t get done, or the homeowner will have to DIY them. What is the problem? The message for getting people into the construction trade has either been lost or skewed dramatically. Schoolchildren are encouraged to go to college rather than explore careers in the trades even though many people in the trades are earning a lot more than their college counterparts. Build My Future Build My Future OKC is an event put on by the Central OKlahoma Association of Home Builders and it’s Professional Women in Building Council. It is a one-day hands-on interactive construction career fair. When I moved back to Oklahoma City from St. Louis, and we got Professional Women