Blog

In the past several months, Explore The Trades has published a series of articles detailing the need for increased investment in the HVAC and plumbing infrastructure in America. When the average person hears the word “infrastructure,” they think of roads, bridges, tunnels, and even waterways. What...

It’s hard to believe that there are still people alive who grew up without electricity in their homes. Think of what life was like without lights that turn on and off with the flick of a switch, without refrigerators, toasters, microwave ovens and so many other electrical appliances, without outlets...

I’m sure most of you understand that the trades entail rugged working conditions with more hazards than you’ll find at a desk job. The good news is that deaths and injuries are steadily diminishing. A big reason is that insurance companies lead the way in compelling jobsite safety. It is in their...

Working in the trades is a rewarding experience. You closely interact with customers, playing both technical and customer service roles. You are also able to set flexible hours, and you aren’t stuck sitting behind a desk for the rest of your life. If this sounds like the lifestyle and work culture...

Think our lives have been disrupted by Covid? We’re living in Paradise compared with life without enough skilled trade workers to build and maintain the mechanical systems our modern world depends on. Do you really want to go back to a time when wood stoves were the only way to keep warm in winter...

The coronavirus pandemic has brought our country – the world in fact – to its knees in a way almost nobody alive has witnessed in our lifetimes. Too many people are getting sick and dying, and our economy is facing its biggest challenges since the Great Depression. Businesses everywhere are shutting...

STEM and the Skilled Trades Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are the essential building blocks of careers that cross industries and impact our daily lives in different ways. STEM is the foundation of technical careers that propels our future workforce forward to stability, career growth...

April 22 marks the 50th Anniversary of an annual celebration that has come to be known as Earth Day. On April 22, 1970, some 20 million Americans, about 10% of the population at the time, took to demonstrations on college campuses and the streets in hundreds of cities to protest environmental degradation...

Amid the coronavirus shutdown, some states – Illinois and California among them – have deemed construction projects as essential businesses and allowed projects to continue. Others have ordered construction sites closed except for those involving health care and other critical facilities. A survey...