UCEC's Unique Training, Part 2
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series about UCEC’s unique training process. For the first story, click here.
As a teenager, Garrod Massey had a passion for electronics, even building his own guitar system out of a telephone. Classes in high school included electronics and robotics, but post-high school, Garrod found himself in a job that he didn’t like: appliance delivery for a large home improvement store. A chance meeting with a former classmate, Zach Fothergill, led to a job at UCEC, and at last, Garrod’s love of electronics came full circle. He is now Operations Support Manager, directing the wiring side of the shop, including all electronics and safety testing.
Garrod Massey
Garrod’s career with UCEC started in 2007 with odd jobs, including mowing the grass, he remembers with a laugh. He then started drilling panels and assembling. The UCEC management staff paired Garrod with a seasoned mentor with whom he worked for two years. “Hartono was meticulous and super smart,” Garrod says. “He taught me everything he knew.”
When his mentor retired in 2010, Garrod was promoted to Production Supervisor, in charge of the UCEC shop projects from start to finish. Within a few months, UCEC’s workload and employee count increased dramatically, making a few changes necessary. The shop was split into a wiring side, managed by Garrod; and a production side, managed by Zach.
Electronics is a field that Garrod embraces, mostly because of its meticulous nature. “I like to push myself to do things as best as I can,” he notes. This extends to reading detailed schematics; fastidious wiring skills; and careful safety testing.
When it comes to training new team members, Garrod likes to take a hands-on approach, working with the new employee one-on-one. Each panel and its electronics are different, and Garrod says that by working with the new employee himself, he can impart his knowledge more effectively. New employees on the wiring side of the shop eventually learn all aspects of the job, generally becoming completely trained around one year.
One thing that Garrod really enjoys is constantly learning. And when he shares that knowledge with younger, less experienced colleagues, he says, “It makes me feel good bringing up new employees the way I was, with attention to fine details and craftsmanship.”
Check out our hiring post and perhaps pass it on to your network.