Hiring M&O in EDU

Hiring challenges? Consider adding tech to your maintenance toolkit 

If you are an administrator for a public school, budgets are tight and you likely have a lot on your plate these days. From navigating a very wide spectrum of opinions to keeping students safe and healthy, it can feel like too much—especially when you add hiring challenges across the board to the mix. 

For facilities or maintenance and operations teams, the talent crunch can be even more profound. With longtime employees retiring or leaving for greener pastures, many schools must start appealing to the next generation of operational professionals…but with smaller budgets, outdated technology, and a host of other unappealing qualities, staffing maintenance can be a literal chore. 

If administrators want to help everyone in the educational community to be happy, keeping schools clean, safe and operational should be a priority—meaning now might be the perfect time to add technology to your maintenance and facilities toolkit.  

The right solutions can help stretch funds further and enable small teams to do more with less, not to mention help attract younger generations that expect the tech to already be in place. Below, we’ll explore how having a centralized system can give maintenance teams a much-needed boost to help keep schools running smoothly, even amongst everything.  

Why is hiring maintenance professionals for public schools so difficult? 

Finding maintenance professionals for public schools can be a real struggle. One of the main issues is the limited budget, which makes it hard to offer competitive salaries. As a result, it's tough to attract highly skilled candidates who might be looking for better pay elsewhere.  

Another challenge is that the job itself can be demanding, requiring specialized knowledge and the ability to work in different settings. Unfortunately, there's also a lag when it comes to technology that could make operations more efficient and streamlined and the old “but we’ve always done it this way” doesn’t seem to fly with the younger generations of workers.

All these factors combined make it difficult for public schools to find and keep qualified maintenance professionals. But, implementing the right solution could help teams to retain some of that vital institutional knowledge and quickly uplevel new employees. 

Labor shortage is a widespread problem 

According to the Society for Human Resources Management ( SHRM), labor shortages are forecasted to persist for years, which is not encouraging if you’re the one charged with finding talent. An article from PBS further illustrated the challenges of hiring by highlighting the numbers needed; in one of Missouri’s largest public school districts with around 20,000 students, schools need:  

• 114 teachers 
• 164 support staff which includes nurses, social workers, counselors, and aides  
• 27 substitutes 
• 58 custodians  
• 43 security guards 

With lower salaries across the board, attracting talent is nearly impossible. To fill open positions, administrators must get creative with how they position the roles and find ways to add value for the individuals who accept those roles. 

So what’s one thing schools can offer in lieu of higher pay? For maintenance teams, the opportunity to use the latest tech while gaining knowledge and credible work experience might be just the ticket. 

Why a centralized solution should be a mandatory tool of the trade(s) 

For administrators, the end goal is the same: provide a high-quality experience for students. It all starts with maintaining and caring for facilities and assets—assuming you have enough staff to get the work done. 

Utilizing technology that's as easy to learn as using a mobile device can help your budget to stretch further and attract fresh talent. A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), can help your teams centralize your facilities and operational data to take better care of assets, save money on maintenance costs and automate workflows.

Though your budget might be smaller than that of a private institution, the right tools can help you optimize the talent and resources you have available. 

A Brightly future for students and maintenance teams 

Brightly solutions like Asset Essentials make caring for educational assets and facilities easy, can stretch budgets further and help make trades roles more appealing for newer generations.  

Ready to learn more? Schedule a call with an expert today.