The Toolbelt Generation: Gen Z is Exploring the Trades
The Toolbelt Generation: Gen Z is Exploring the Trades College degrees have long been seen as the golden ticket to career security. However, a new wave of young people is rejecting this traditional path by turning to blue-collar jobs with the goal of avoiding student loans and learning highly applicable skills. Because of this shift, […]
Here are the Top 10 Trade Schools in the Country
Here are the Top 10 Trade Schools in the Country Skilled trade schools offer students an opportunity to gain practical, hands-on training and education in their chosen career path. Technical and trade schools boast lower tuition costs and a shorter degree track, allowing graduates to enter the workforce as soon as possible. With an […]
Bridging the Skilled Gap: The Importance of Partnerships Between Education and Industry
Bridging the Skilled Gap: The Importance of Partnerships Between Education and Industry In today’s fast-changing job market, traditional education alone is not enough to prepare students for the workforce. With a skilled labor shortage, Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are stepping up to fill this gap by providing students with the skills they […]
Women in the Trades: How to Start a Skilled Trades Career
Women in the Trades: How to Start a Skilled Trades Career If you’re a woman exploring career options, consider adding the skilled trades to your list of options! Jobs in the trades, like plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work, for example, offer something that many traditional career paths don’t: stability, high earning potential, and the […]
Five Reasons Plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical Companies Should Support Philanthropic Efforts
Five Reasons Plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical Companies Should Support Philanthropic Efforts The skilled trades industry is facing a growing skilled workforce gap. With fewer young people entering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical careers to replace retiring technicians, companies across the country are feeling the pressure to find qualified workers. Explore The Trades is dedicated to […]
Where Are Today’s Youth Discovering the Trades?
Where are Today’s Youth Discovering the Trades? Generation Z—born between 1997 and 2012—have an unfortunate reputation among older generations as being lazy and lacking work ethic. However, this perception is inaccurate. The truth is, they’re diving into skilled trades careers. In fact, Gen Z is dubbed the “Toolbelt Generation” for their immense enthusiasm for hands-on […]
Tools For Christmas
Christmas is almost here and it’s likely some of your loved ones are in a last-minute gift shopping mode. Don’t know what to get for you? Well, skilled trade workers usually are expected to provide their own set of hand tools. You may want to drop hints to loved ones that certain tools make for […]
How’s Your Emotional I.Q.?
Different kinds of intelligence are required to succeed in the trades. You need a good mechanical aptitude, of course. You need to be good at math and able to read well enough to understand manuals and other work-related documents. One other type of intelligence is needed to lead you to a successful career in the […]
What If You Have No Good References?
Before they hire you, most employers will ask for references of people you have worked for in the past. They especially would like to know about former supervisors, department heads or company owners. The more prestigious the titles of the people you give as references, the more impressed a potential employer will be. Some of […]
Smart Homes Need Smart Technicians
I remember way back as a child visiting some homes that still had iceboxes rather than refrigerators and milk delivered by a milkman. Similarly, I bet many of you reading this grew up in homes without many of the modern conveniences we now take for granted. Many “smart homes” of today are equipped with technology […]