Who’s ready to learn about the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical trades? We are!

As Explore The Trades works to bridge the technical talent gap to these service trades, one of the avenues for this is to ensure that educators feel equipped to speak about the trades with their students. Awareness and education about the trades can start early, and Explore The Trades is here to help your students discover the plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical trades.

Check out the article below to learn how to best incorporate our resources in YOUR classroom!

Display The Trades

Bring a visual of the trades to your students with our FREE poster kits!

These poster kits include infographic career paths of the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical trades, and a general “Why Consider a Career in the Trades?” poster. Display the earning potential and career trajectory to your students by having these posters up on your classroom walls.

The posters provide a visual of what careers in the trades can look like and the different job opportunities within the industry. They could start out as a service technician, and in a few years own their own business!

Has a student asked a question about working in the trades but you’re not sure how to answer? Read on to find out how!

Watch a Webinar

Learn all about the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical industries by watching the Trades Toolbox Webinar!

Specifically designed for teachers and school counselors, this webinar provides information and tools you can share with your students, their parents, and guardians. Discover the basics about the plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical trades – and the amazing opportunities that exist without a four-year college degree.

Want more webinar content? Explore The Trades will be hosting another webinar this fall!

Share Our Videos

Who doesn’t love a good movie! Give your students a first-hand look at the trades with videos and materials from our resources page.

Learn what the trades are…and what they’re not. Students will hear from trades professionals about what they love about the industry and how to get started. You can also find our ready-to-print materials to download and pass out to students and parents.

What kind of careers are trades careers? STEM, of course!

STEM in the Skilled Trades

Wondering how the trades fit into a K-12 education? The trades are STEM!

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 opportunities and success. STEM is the skilled trades of plumbing, heating, and cooling (HVAC) and electrical.

Want to bring the trades into YOUR school? Keep reading to find out how!

Apply for Equipment Through the “Explore The Trades Skills Lab, Built by Ferguson” Initiative!

Bring the trades to YOU and your students!

The “Explore The Trades Skills Lab, Built by Ferguson” initiative is designed to expose students to plumbing, heating and cooling careers that they might not otherwise know about. Grant funds will be used to create new,

or refurbish, plumbing and HVAC classrooms in high schools and post-secondary consortiums throughout North America.

Give your students a hands-on learning experience by partnering with a home service company in your community to build a plumbing or HVAC skills lab in your school. This tangible learning experience will bring the trades to the students and allow them to explore a career opportunity they may not otherwise have investigated.

The vision of the skills lab program is for schools and local contractors to partner to build the talent network in the community and increase the knowledge and awareness of the trades.

For more information, please click here.

Have Fun!

We know how daunting it can be to try and provide your students with information about different careers, especially when the industry is not well known to you. No matter where you are with your knowledge of trades careers, Explore The Trades is here to help!

Check out our Parents and Educators page to get started.

---