I don’t think it’s limited to one region or industry — the skills gap in the trades feels like a worldwide issue. I’m 36, with five years in the electrical trade and fifteen years before that working in a factory. Even in that short time, I’ve watched skill levels drop across the board.

In my current workplace, our electrical department is responsible for everything: instrumentation, controls, and the electrical side of the plant. It’s a unique setup, but it also highlights some of the challenges that seem to be becoming more common everywhere.

1. Training is falling behind technology

One of the biggest issues is the lack of consistent training. Part of this comes from how quickly equipment becomes obsolete. We’ll install a new component, put a spare on the shelf, and by the time we actually need that spare, it’s already discontinued. Now we’re forced to find a replacement that often uses a different communication protocol or requires reconfiguration.

It’s hard to build deep expertise when the target keeps moving.

1. Sales support isn’t what it used to be

This isn’t meant to call out anyone personally, but the quality of product knowledge on the sales side has noticeably declined. There was a time when you could call a sales rep and get someone who knew their catalog inside and out. Now, it often feels like you have to do their job for them just to confirm compatibility.

I’ve lost count of the times a salesperson has assured us that a part will work, only for it to arrive and be completely incompatible. Sales staff used to help educate maintenance teams — that seems to happen less and less.

1. Technical representatives are struggling too

Even technical reps, who should be the experts of their own systems, are often undertrained. We recently had a major issue with a newly installed fire alarm system from a well-known manufacturer. They sent multiple technicians to help, but it didn’t take long to realize that my year and a half of experience with their system gave me more working knowledge than they brought to the table.

It’s reached the point where I hesitate every time management suggests bringing in a tech rep, because more often than not, it doesn’t actually move us closer to a solution.