Building a Workforce Pipeline
The partnership between Briggs Equipment and Valencia College is helping both students and the industry.
By Nicole Needles
IN TODAY’S COMPETITIVE labor market, finding skilled, motivated technicians is a growing challenge across industries – and the material handling field is no exception. But in Florida, a forward-thinking collaboration between Briggs Equipment and Valencia College, facilitated and developed by MHEDA and the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council, is providing a blueprint for success through the Certified Forklift Technician (CFT) program.
The partnership demonstrates how dealerships can proactively address workforce shortages by working directly with technical schools to build talent pipelines from the ground up. Briggs has already hired two graduates from Valencia’s inaugural CFT class, and both students are thriving as fulltime technicians.
“This industry is growing, and it’s hard to find a good service technician, a forklift technician,” said Kris Gressley, a service technician and long-time member of the Briggs team. “With this program, we’re seeing young people who actually want to learn this. That’s what I see helping us move forward.”
From Industry Need to a Real-world Program
The partnership began when industry leaders identified a clear workforce development gap. Danny Nuñez, program administrator for programs in transportation and logistics and advanced manufacturing at Valencia College Accelerated Skills Training, explained: “Almost all of Valencia’s workforce development programs are spawned out of industry needs. Forklift maintenance was one of those needs. So, they vetted the CFT program and saw it wasn’t just a one-time thing – it was something sustainable.”
Once the college committed to building the program, they reached out to local employers for guidance and support. Briggs Equipment, a national leader in material handling solutions, was one of the first to raise its hand. As Nuñez recalled, “Briggs was one of the names on the list when I stepped into this role, and they were the first people I reached out to.”
Briggs didn’t just offer moral support – they rolled up their sleeves and got involved in shaping the curriculum and mentoring students.
“We went over what needed to be done to set it up,” said Gressley “And then once the first class started, we tried to improve and get them to understand what we’re really looking for as far as becoming a technician.”
A Baseline for Success
What makes the CFT program effective is its focus on both technical competencies and soft skills. “Valencia sets a great foundation,” said Drew Gelbaugh, Briggs’ former branch manager. “They teach the basics – how to communicate, how to shake hands, look people in the eye, be on time. That’s really one of the best things that has come out of this.”
Gelbaugh also emphasized how crucial this initiative is in an industry with an aging workforce. “We’ve got a lot of experience here at Briggs, but we need to bring in the younger generation to eventually replace that experience. The students coming in from the CFT program are 18, 19, 20 years old, and they already know this is the path they want. That’s huge.”
Valencia’s hands-on approach prepares students to walk into dealerships like Briggs ready to contribute from day one. After completing the program, students are equipped to start as entry-level technicians with plenty of room to grow.
One of those new hires, Anthony, recently told Gelbaugh, “I love it. It’s great.” “That kind of enthusiasm is contagious. He’s been here for four months,” Gelbaugh said. “And that really puts a smile on my face.”
Lives Changed, Not Just Numbers
While program metrics like enrollment and graduation rates are important, Valencia and Briggs agree that job placement is the ultimate benchmark.
“For us, it’s about changing lives,” Nuñez said. “It’s about teaching a young man or woman and giving them the skills they need to succeed – not just technical skills, but critical thinking, soft skills, character, craftsmanship. Those things change families, change lives and change communities.”
At Briggs, that impact is already evident. “We’ve hired two students from the first graduating class,” said Gelbaugh. “Right now we’re fully staffed, but we’re projected to grow this year, and when we do, we’ll definitely lean on Valencia to provide us with well groomed technicians.”
The partnership has had a two-way effect. As students learn the technical ropes and grow in confidence, seasoned technicians at Briggs are also being reinvigorated through mentorship and teaching opportunities.
“We’re teaching them, yes,” said a Briggs team member, Antonio Andrade, “but we’re also learning – especially communication and customer service. As mobile technicians, they need those skills. Watching them grow in that area has been incredibly rewarding.”
Improving Upon a Great Foundation
The pilot CFT class at Valencia wasn’t without its bumps. But both organizations treated early feedback as fuel for improvement.
“You don’t know what you don’t know until you go through it,” said Nuñez. “We’ve already redesigned the curriculum to include more hands-on experience immediately after each theory module. We’ve also added new training boards with the help of supplies from Briggs, and we brought in instructors who’ve been in the industry for over 25 years.”
The result? Stronger candidates and better alignment with real-world job demands.
“One of the fortunate things about our program is that we’re very agile,” Nuñez explained. “If Briggs calls me and says we need more focus on electrical systems or safety, we can make those changes quickly. That’s one of the big advantages of accelerated workforce development training over the traditional college track.”
Don’t Wait – Collaborate
The partnership between Briggs and Valencia offers a compelling model for other MHEDA members looking to develop a technician talent pipeline. The key, according to Gelbaugh, is persistence.
“Communication and follow through are everything,” he said. “Start the conversation. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your local college or tech school. Even if they say ‘not right now,’ that’s not a ‘no’ forever.”
It took two and a half years of communication before Valencia’s CFT program officially launched – but once it did, the payoff was immediate.
As Andrade summed it up: “The most rewarding part of this program is that it’s not just about getting a job. It’s about helping these young individuals find a place where they can belong, grow, develop their skills and build a real career in a vital industry.”
A Model for the Future
The MHEDA Foundation, MHEDA’s newly established 501(c)(3), is dedicated to supporting the next generation of material handling professionals by raising funds to provide scholarships to students attending technical schools such as Valencia College. MHEDA would like to encourage all members to support this important initiative – whether through donations, sponsorships or by helping identify schools that could benefit from a partnership. See more information at https://www.mheda.org/mheda-foundation-scholarship-funds/.
With more dealerships facing technician shortages and more young people searching for meaningful, stable careers, the CFT program offers a win-win solution. The partnership between Briggs Equipment and Valencia College shows what’s possible when education and industry work together toward a common goal.
It’s a model MHEDA hopes to see replicated across the country. As Nuñez put it, “Everyone thrives from this; students, businesses, families and communities. That’s the kind of impact we’re all looking for.”
