Building a Training Program for Your Shop

# Building a Training Program for Your Shop

The companies that win the talent war in the trades are not always the ones that pay the most — they are the ones that invest in their people. A structured training program signals to employees that you are invested in their growth, and it pays dividends in reduced callbacks, higher inspection pass rates, and lower turnover. AI makes building and maintaining a training program practical for shops of any size.

Designing Your Curriculum

Start by mapping the skills your team needs:

Help me design a 12-month training curriculum for my [trade] team. We have:
- [Number] apprentices at years [1-4]
- [Number] journeymen with [range] years of experience
- We primarily do [types of work]
- Our jurisdiction uses [code edition]

Create a monthly training calendar with:
1. One technical topic per month (installations, troubleshooting, new techniques)
2. One code topic per month (focusing on commonly failed inspection items)
3. One safety topic per quarter
4. One business/customer service topic per quarter

For each topic, provide:
- A 30-minute training session outline (what to cover)
- A hands-on exercise or field application
- An assessment question or practical skill check
- Materials needed for the session

Design sessions that work as lunch-and-learn format — they should be engaging, not lectures.