One of our core values is education. At UMC, we value ongoing education for our employees because we believe it is the key to our success. The more we are willing to learn and grow, the more capable our company will be. It’s why we help fund schooling for the apprentices on our staff and encourage continuing education for veteran UMC employees.
At UMC, we regularly motivate employees to continue their education through training and seminars. We also ensure our employees meet the necessary continuing education requirements to keep their plumbing and HVAC licenses active. We’ve seen firsthand how it helps our company grow. Some of the benefits of continuing education for us are:
- Learning new technologies: Technology is changing the construction industry. For example, AI technology is now utilized to help develop building plans, improve project management scheduling, and more. Learning to harness this technology and others like it through continuing education courses and seminars is essential to help us stay competitive in the construction industry.
- Improving quality: At UMC, quality work is very important to us. We have worked hard to develop a reputation for quality workmanship on the job site, and we attribute that reputation to our continuing education efforts. Our team constantly learns new, more efficient ways to do things and always strives to do their best work.
- Learning new building codes and standards: Building codes and standards constantly change, especially as the construction industry moves toward greener building methods. For example, last year, the Department of Energy enacted new HVAC regulations called SEER2. These changes aimed to move the industry towards adopting more energy-efficient technologies. Industry changes like this are constantly happening, so we focus on staying on top of industry trends through continuing education to stay compliant.
- Networking with industry professionals: Many UMC employees take continuing education courses through local technical colleges and trade associations. These courses are informative and a great place for our team to meet other industry professionals and network. In fact, one of our employees, Nick Ovard, was recruited to UMC when he was teaching plumbing courses at Mountainland Technical College in Orem. Several of our UMC employees took his class and shared how much they enjoyed working for UMC and advised him to apply. Now, he’s a project executive for our Utah division!
These are just a few reasons we value continuing education here at UMC. We’ve seen firsthand how it helps our employees grow and our company thrive. With the new skills and technologies we’ve adapted from continuing education, we’ve been able to take on bigger and more sophisticated projects with leading partners. It’s one of the ways we’ve cultivated a reputation as an industry leader in plumbing and HVAC multi-family construction in the Intermountain West!
