Trade School Program Manager

Jackson, MS, USA|

Job Overview

Compensation

Salary

Range $44,000.00 - $71,000.00

Benefits

Health Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

flexible spending accounts

health savings accounts

Retirement Savings Plans

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Paid Time Off

Job Description

C&W Services is a leading provider in the facilities management and skilled trades industry, widely recognized for delivering top-tier services across multiple sectors including commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and industrial sites. With a commitment to excellence and innovation, the company focuses on maintaining high standards of operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability. C&W Services takes pride in fostering an inclusive work environment, where diversity and equal opportunity are prioritized. The organization offers its employees competitive compensation packages, robust benefits, and opportunities for professional growth and development. Across the United States, C&W Services is known not only for its operational capabilities but also for its strategic engagement in workforce development and community partnerships that ensure a strong foundation for future skilled trades talent.

The Trade School Program Manager at C&W Services plays an essential role in shaping and sustaining the organization's skilled trades workforce. This leadership position is responsible for establishing and nurturing strategic partnerships with trade and technical schools nationwide to build a reliable talent pipeline in critical skilled trades functions such as HVAC technicians, electricians, general maintenance professionals, and automation engineering specialists. This manager acts as a vital conduit among multiple internal and external stakeholders including recruiting teams, apprenticeship departments, learning and development units, and academic institutions.

In this role, the Trade School Program Manager immerses deeply in the world of skilled trades by gaining a detailed understanding of the specific trades, training curriculums, certifications, and job requirements. This comprehensive perspective enables the creation and maintenance of curriculum alignments that reflect industry trends and hiring needs, while also informing workforce strategy and recruitment efforts. The manager develops and implements outreach programs, including scholarship initiatives, internship pipelines, and ambassador programs, enhancing community engagement and strengthening the organizational brand in the skilled trades marketplace.

Additionally, the position entails planning and participating in recruitment events such as career fairs, open houses, and speaking engagements, serving as a prominent representative of C&W Services’ commitment to skilled trades careers. The role requires acute data analysis capabilities to assess partnership effectiveness, monitor program engagement, and make informed recommendations to leadership. By driving proactive workforce planning, the Trade School Program Manager helps forecast talent needs and collaborates with operational leaders to address skill gaps before they impact project and business outcomes.

Compensation for this full-time role ranges from $80,168.40 to $91,710.00 annually, with final salary offers depending upon factors including location, experience, and eligibility. Beyond a competitive salary, C&W Services provides a wide array of benefits that support employee health, wellness, and financial security. Committed to diversity and inclusion, C&W Services ensures equal employment opportunities and offers accommodations to candidates with disabilities during the application process. This role offers an exciting opportunity for a proactive, strategic, and passionate individual dedicated to making a meaningful impact on the skilled trades workforce through education partnerships and pipeline strategy.

Job Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience
Experience in recruitment or workforce development
Strong communication and relationship skills
Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
Analytical skills with data and dashboards
Familiarity with skilled trades industry preferred
Experience with apprenticeship or curriculum development preferred
Proficient with recruiting and business intelligence tools preferred

Job Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Business, Human Resources, Workforce Development, Education, or a related field or equivalent experience in lieu of a degree
Minimum of 2+ years of experience in recruitment, workforce development, education partnerships, or related field
Experience in campus recruitment, technical hiring, or managing community/school partnerships
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide variety of stakeholders including instructors, students, hiring managers, and executives
Proven ability to manage multiple projects, partnerships, and deadlines in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
Comfort working with data and dashboards, with the ability to interpret metrics and deliver actionable insights to leadership

Job Duties

Build and maintain strong relationships with trade and technical schools, workforce development boards, and professional organizations across key markets
Identify new trade school partnership opportunities that align with organizational hiring needs and create visibility around skilled trades careers at C&W Services
Coordinate quarterly and ad-hoc engagement meetings with academic stakeholders, career services teams, and technical instructors
Collaborate with schools and community partners on workforce readiness initiatives, scholarship programs, internship pipelines, and ambassador programs
Work closely with the Apprenticeship Department and internal Learning & Development teams to align external curriculum offerings with internal job profiles
Partner with schools to enhance or co-develop curriculum based on industry trends, skills gap analysis, and feedback from hiring managers
Participate in advisory boards, roundtables, and school curriculum reviews to influence trade education that supports current and future hiring needs
Fully immerse in the skilled trades workforce, developing a deep understanding of the roles we hire for, the tools and certifications required, and the career pathways available
Identify hiring gaps at specific sites and regions and proactively deliver solutions by targeting school partnerships and regional training pipelines
Develop and maintain a dynamic map of site needs and overlay that with trade school graduate availability to forecast and close workforce gaps
Plan, organize, and attend on-campus recruitment events including career fairs, open houses, speaking engagements, and hiring days
Represent C&W Services as a top employer in the skilled trades space, ensuring consistent and compelling brand messaging
Promote awareness of skilled trades career pathways internally and externally through storytelling, digital campaigns, and candidate testimonials
Create and deliver weekly and quarterly reports that track the effectiveness of trade school partnerships, event ROI, and student engagement
Present status updates and strategic recommendations to Talent Acquisition leadership and business stakeholders on a recurring basis
Use PowerBI dashboards and other data tools to extract insights, spot trends, and tell a clear story that connects data to business outcomes
Monitor graduation rates, placement success, and program engagement to ensure our partnerships are producing meaningful talent outcomes
Serve as a proactive partner to operational leaders, forecasting talent gaps before they arise and leveraging your school relationships to fill critical roles
Help prioritize school engagement strategies based on workforce demand by site, market saturation, skill gaps, and seasonal needs
Drive cross-functional alignment across recruiting, operations, L&D, and school partners to ensure strategic workforce readiness