The Fort #240: Wyatt Smith - Founder of UpSmith - On a Mission to Combat America's Growing Skilled Worker Crisis
Wyatt is the founder and CEO of UpSmith, a technology company on a mission to combat America’s skilled worker crisis. UpSmith partners with employers to identify high-demand gaps in their labor force, then sources and screens candidates to fill them. Where necessary, UpSmith connects candidates with affordable, fast, high-quality training to qualify them for placement. Prior to UpSmith, Wyatt led business development for Elevate, Uber’s aerial ride-sharing business unit. He served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a corps member with Teach for America, receiving the 2013 Sue Lehmann Award as a national teacher of the year.
Wyatt holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BS in Human & Organizational Development and Political Science from Vanderbilt University, where he served as student body president and as a young alumni trustee on the Board of Trust.
On this episode, Chris and Wyatt discuss:
- An in-depth view of the emerging blue-collar labor crisis in America and how we got here.
- The benefits of blue-collar work and why it is worthwhile work.
- Upsmith’s plan to employ more blue-collar workers.
- Why college isn’t for everyone.
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(2:43) - What is the labor crisis we are facing right now?
(7:40) - Was there an inflection point where we changed the way we look at the trades?
(9:02) - Is this labor crisis attributed equally across all blue-collar work?
(10:40) - Are we losing people in the trades due to a lack of training from small businesses?
(15:33) - Why is it not obvious that people should look into the trades for a viable career?
(18:39) - Does the federal government offer financial aid to attend a trade school?
(19:55) - How much of this is a laziness problem?
(21:25) - Wyatt’s launch of UpSmith
(24:27) - How are you pitching high school students to have them consider this vs. College?
(34:04) - What are the implications for the families of those who choose to enter the trades?
(37:30) - Why are you attracted to the words ‘dignity’ and ‘purpose’?
(39:57) - Renaming Blue Collar as “The Builder Class”
(41:10) - What takes place in the initial 8 weeks of a cohort?
(44:13) - What problem is a company having that drives them to UpSmith for candidates?
(47:40) - What’s the line when it comes to blue-collar work and candidates with criminal records?
(50:30) - Other than pay, what are some non-obvious benefits of a career in trades?
(53:40) - Is the path for people to eventually own their own business or just have a steady income?
(57:50) Is anyone on social media making this work sexy?
(1:00:48) - Are city crews looking to UpSmith for help with public infrastructure?
(1:01:16) - What does our world look like if we fail to fill these blue-collar positions?
(1:05:24) - Where have all these workers gone since Covid?
(1:08:41) - Is there a certain characteristic that stands out in high-performers in the trades?
(1:09:47) - Where do you envision UpSmith in 5 years?
(1:11:40) - What are employers in home health care looking for from UpSmith candidates?
(1:13:22) - What’s one thing you've never predicted since you started this business?
(1:14:46) - How can people get in touch or partner with you?
The Fort is produced by Johnny Podcasts