A contractor in Corona asked, “What training opportunities are available during slow season?”
Answer: Ongoing training for your contracting business is one of the most beneficial activities you can engage in, but it can be hard to find the time when the phone is ringing off the hook during the busy season. The slower season, on the other hand, when leads aren’t pouring in and you may struggle to fill crews’ schedules, can be a perfect opportunity to focus on training and ensure greater success and better efficiency during busy season and all year long. Moreover, learning strategies to sell more high-efficiency equipment during the slow season can pay dividends later: you’ll increase average ticket size while growing customer satisfaction through the sale of more efficient, effective equipment. So, what training programs and resources are available to GoGreen contractors?
Thankfully, today there’s training perfectly suited for nearly every business out there – not only on every subject, but available formats to fit any company or personnel, including in-person training, on-demand online classes, virtual workshops, and more. SCE in Irwindale offers a full in-person home efficiency demonstration center, for example, allowing contractors to get hands-on experience with high-efficiency equipment and technology. PG&E, meanwhile, has a variety of online on-demand classes that make training easy and accessible, with no travel required.
Many of these options are even provided at low- or no-cost by utilities and regional energy networks – such as SDGE’s classes – in order to help area contractors build better businesses and bring energy efficiency upgrades to more customers’ homes. Some local examples include:
- PG&E Energy Centers Classes and Events
- SCE Energy Education Centers
- SDGE No-Cost Energy Education Classes
- 3C-REN Calendar of Events and Trainings
Finally, certification and continuing education groups can be a great resource, either through their own offerings or by providing a directory of approved courses proven to help contractors. Some examples include IHACI and NATE certification, which offer directories full of training organizations, classes and paths to certification that can be refined by geography, allowing you to locate options in your immediate area.