With ongoing labor shortages and a limited supply of skilled tradesmen, it’s getting harder than ever for companies to recruit electricians. One good solution to this is to go to the source and recruit directly out of trade schools. Here are four tips your company can use to recruit electricians out of trade school.

Attend School Job Fairs

The simplest way to find electricians in trade schools is to participate in all job fairs the school holds. Like most educational institutions, trade schools regularly host events where students and potential employers can connect. Participating in these events will give you early access to students training to work as electricians. You can even conduct initial interviews on the spot to find the best fit for your company and identify potentially great employees.

Offer Paid Training Before Graduation

Another good way to recruit trade school students is to offer them paid training before they graduate. Doing this allows students to get some direct experience on the job while making a bit of extra money. When it’s time for them to seek full-time employment, you can extend job offers to the ones that have worked well for you. A person who works as an electrician for you during trade school will be much more likely to sign on with your company after graduation.

Offer Tuition Assistance

Although trade schools are much more affordable than traditional colleges, tuition assistance is a powerful motivator for students in all fields. Offering to pay part of a student’s tuition if he or she signs on with your company is a great way to attract students training to become electricians.

Invite Students to Shadow Electricians at Your Company

Finally, you can get students to engage with your company by letting them shadow working electricians who are already on your payroll. An interaction as simple as a day of job shadowing can help you reach out to future electricians. Giving them a contact card at the end of the day will also give them away to reach back out to you. Combined with the other methods listed above, this is a great way to establish a relationship with electricians you may want to hire.

Recruiting electricians directly from trade schools is one of the best ways to keep your company properly staffed. Use these four simple tips, and you’ll be able to get great talent into your company on a reliable basis.