As part of their annual “Super Summit” week, St. Pete’s largest private employer has unveiled a game-changer on its sprawling campus. Power Design, Inc. officially held the grand opening of its newly expanded CAMP facility this week, a 47,000-square-foot training center dedicated to teaching and improving skilled labor.

The Best Practices and Technical Training Center plays a pivotal role in combating the skilled labor shortage, providing direct access to training in those valuable skills that are in such high demand. This state-of-the-art facility is the only one of its kind in the Tampa Bay area and among a select few in the United States. Power Design believes the “above code” training center will redefine training standards across the trades and showcase its own industry-leading program that goes beyond industry standards and code requirements.

The sprawling complex – now doubled in size – offers an incredibly extensive array of training areas and subjects. The Multi-Trade Best Practices Center emphasizes industry best practices across different trades like electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and systems technologies, while a fully equipped lab area provides practical, real-world experience in various trades, allowing learners to apply theoretical knowledge in a controlled environment.

Power Design leads the nation in cultivating skilled workers

There are also nine steel frame mock job sites set up at various stages of construction, as well as multiple evaluation spaces focused on the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and systems technologies (MEPS) aspects of the trades, where learners can be assessed on their proficiency and adherence to standards prior to hitting the job site. The facility also offers some of the most modern touches available anywhere, with training spaces for hydronics, building management systems, and systems technologies innovation.

While this is thrilling news for those in the industry, it can sound a bit like word salad to those outside the world of construction. The gist is that the country – and Tampa Bay – faces a truly massive construction labor shortage. Estimates by the Associated Builders and Contractors indicates that the industry needs to hire approximately 501,000 additional workers in 2024 alone to meet growing labor demands, with nearly 454,000 needed in 2025.

As one of the nation’s leaders in the industry, PDI has built this facility as a way to ensure the health of not only the construction industry, but of the labor market. This new training center prepares a skilled labor force, boosts regional economies, and provides a direct path to good jobs with livable wages. CAMP is designed to empower trades professionals, DPI says, both in the field and in the office, with a robust platform for career and skills development through hands-on learning and state-of-the-art resources, and provide them with a holistic understanding of the industry and encourage the younger generations to enter the skilled trades.

“Recognizing that traditional career paths aren’t for everyone, we’ve designed our facility to foster creativity and versatility, and show a new generation all the diverse career opportunities the trades offer,” said Power Design Director of Learning & Development Stephanie Morge. “Our goal with CAMP is to provide our future workforce with all the tools they need to be successful both now, and in the future, and to help meet our industry’s critical demand for skilled tradespeople in the field and in the office.”

The facility will also be accessible to all Power Design apprentices throughout their four-year training period and participants in Power Design’s career development programs, emphasizing the company’s investment in the future of its workforce and its prioritization of accelerating career advancement.

Power Design sets an industry standard

As for the work of the company itself, Power Design has grown into something of a one-stop-shop for construction developers. By specializing in so many different areas (a rarity in the field), Power Design helps streamline construction processes by doing the work of what typically requires multiple contractors.

Specifically, they focus on electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and systems technologies buildout for construction projects. That scope encompasses everything from the lighting in conference rooms to carbon filtration in parking garages, with all the fire alarms, bathrooms, and literal nuts and bolts in between.

Of course, while it’s their professional services that make them important to their clients and partners, it’s Power Design’s role in the community that makes it special to St. Pete. It’s a rarity in so many of Florida’s growing cities to have such a large company not only headquartered locally, but founded there. Power Design is entrenched as an economic driver for the individuals and families who actually live in St. Pete and the surrounding areas.

Learn more about Power Design, and look for careers at St. Pete’s largest private employer, at powerdesigninc.us.