Brad MacAulay, owner of High Valley Heating and Plumbing, posted on the company’s Facebook page Monday saying he wanted to “try something different” when making his next hire. Instead of choosing a candidate based on experience, the only requirement for this job is that the candidate is ready to learn and wants to work in the business activities. “I’m looking for someone who might not have been the straight-A student — someone who likes to tinker, who just likes to try new things and that’s good with their hands,” he said. Brad MacAulay says he “could barely read a tape measure” when he first started. (Brittany Spencer/CBC) When MacAulay entered the trade more than 20 years ago, he had almost no construction knowledge or experience, he recalls. By chance, he found an employer willing to bring him in and train him. Now, he thinks it’s time to pay the good fortune forward. “I just want to give back something that was given to me, so to speak,” he said. “Give someone a chance [who] it could have been in my place.” Over the past two decades, MacAulay has set up his own business and even spent some time working as an instructor at Holland Collage. He hopes that by investing in the training of someone like his younger self, he will end up with an employee who will have a lasting interest in the job. “I’m just trying to create a spark for someone and hopefully create a career for them.”
“We have to be creative”
The new hire comes at a particularly busy time in the construction industry. MacAulay said, like many other businesses, High Valley Plumbing and Heating is struggling to find staff. Opening the doors to someone new can be one way to solve this. Sam Sanderson, general manager of the Construction Association of PEI, agrees. Sam Sanderson of the Construction Association of PEI says more and more companies will invest in training workers who are willing to show up and do the work. (Brittany Spencer/CBC) “This is becoming a very common practice, more so now than ever, because of the labor shortage and the availability of skilled professionals,” he said. “We have to be creative to create those opportunities, realize the opportunities and give people a chance.” As for MacAulay, he has received dozens of applications since Monday, from high school graduates to those looking for a career change. He plans to read each one before proceeding to interviews and final selection. “We’re in people’s homes all the time. We’re in people’s comfort spots, right?” he said. “I want to make sure the right person joins us.”
