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Louisville, KY – Over 18,000 students, educators, parents and industry partners were in attendance at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference from June 24-28. A showcase and celebration of career and technical skills, students from all 50 states and Puerto Rico competed in over 100...

Home ownership long has been thought of as the height of the American dream. In generations gone by many people worked for many years to save up enough money for a home down payment, and the day they moved in was one of the happiest of their lives. That’s become harder and harder. According to […]

An experienced eye can spot a master craft worker from a run-of-the-mill mechanic by one simple observation. Pay attention to the quality and condition of his tools. A master craft worker treasures his tools as much as a musician does his instrument or an artist his paints and brushes. As with anything...

In the years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve studiously avoided getting political. Unlike so many others in our hyper-partisan times, I respect everyone’s right to their opinions and am proud to say I have close friends across the political spectrum, ranging from Sandernistas on the left to die-hard...

In my last blog, I pointed out that in many cases no experience is necessary for people looking at a trade career. Many employers, trade service firms in particular, place a higher value on personality than past experience. As long as you have a mechanical aptitude, they can train you in a relatively...

Many people who enter the trades go in through the back door. By that I mean they had no intention of looking for a job in the trades, but a job found them. How does that happen? Well, there is a severe shortage of skilled trade workers and that causes many employers to develop their […]

A growing number of states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, in addition to a long list of states that have approved it for medicinal purposes. Even if you don’t indulge, it’s almost certain that you have been around people who do. One poll found that more than half of all Americans...

Many people in the trades express admiration for the trade apprenticeship programs in Germany and some other European countries. As this article points out, whereas in Germany some 60% of young people train as apprentices in various skilled trades, the comparable number in America is only 5%. That’s...

According to The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWC), women make up 9.1% of the construction workforce. When I first read that statistic, I thought it represented a big jump from previous data I had seen years ago. Upon closer reading, it’s not as encouraging. NAWC’s membership...