Automation Doesn’t Threaten The Trades
April 26, 2016 Robot plumbers are a long, long way off Can trade workers be replaced by machines? That would seem to be the implication by a computer scientist at Rice University, who predicts that by 2045 machines will be capable of doing almost any
Defending The Trades
April 12, 2016 Take pride in what you aspire to be In my last article I described a conversation I once had with an affluent suburban mother whose son was interested in an HVAC career. She knew nothing about the field and contacted me when
Setting Mom Straight
March 22, 2016 Tell your parents what’s great about the skilled trades I’ll never forget a conversation I had some years ago when I served as editor of Plumbing & Mechanical magazine. I spent almost an hour on the phone with a mom talking about
Color Yourself Green
March 7, 2016 The trades are in the forefront of the ecology movement To their credit, young people today are more environmentally conscious than just about any generation in history. They know that the future well-being of our society depends on conserving energy and water
Advice For Businesses/Governments That Need To Recruit HVAC Techs
February 26, 2016 By Renée Cardarelle The HVAC industry is facing a severe workforce shortage. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the HVAC industry will face a 21% increase in jobs by 2022, coupled with the fact that there are not enough HVAC technicians
Attitude Vs. Skills
February 19, 2016 Employers can train for skills Getting a job in a skilled trade doesn’t necessarily require a lot of experience. Many trade employers are willing to train people who have a high mechanical IQ but not necessarily proven skills or experience with trade
College Grads Are SO Underemployed
February 5, 2016 Go to college if you like retail sales! Did you know the one out of four retail salespersons has a college degree? So do almost one out of five telemarketers, one out of six bartenders and one out of seven waiters/waitresses. Is
Think Small
January 19, 2016 Trade employers are mostly small businesses If you become a skilled trade worker the odds are great that you will end up working for a small company. The latest Census of Construction Industries shows that the average construction company has fewer than
How To Find Great Trade Workers: Part 3 of 3
January 5, 2016 Part 3 of tips for employers This article continues a review of best practices for recruiting, hiring and retaining top-notch trade workers. Don’t over-value experience. As a grizzled veteran with more than four decades of experience in my chosen field, I’m not