Parents and Educators
HELP YOUNG ADULTS DISCOVER REWARDING TRADE CAREERS
As a parent, guardian, or educator, you play a vital role in helping young people explore career paths beyond traditional four-year degrees.
Whether you’re guiding a student through career and technical education or searching for free posters and tools for your classroom, Explore The Trades is here to support you every step of the way.
OUR IMPACT
Explore The Trades is delivering information about plumbing, HVAC, and electrical directly to students throughout North America.
Schools, businesses & other agencies utilizing our resources
Students impacted by our resources
U.S. school districts using our materials
Parents and Educators
As someone who is helping a young adult choose a career path after high school, you probably have a few questions about these industries. We have the information and insight to assist in your career exploration.
HEY EDUCATORS! REQUEST A POSTER KIT FOR YOUR CLASSROOM.
To prepare future generations to step in and follow in the footsteps of retiring technicians, Explore The Trades created illustrations for classrooms that showcase how skilled tradespeople keep our lights on, our water clean, and our homes comfortable.
To request a poster kit for your school, click here to enter your shipping information. The poster kit will include four 18″x24″ posters of plumbing, HVAC, electrical, and customer experience.
Spanish-translated Career Path Classroom Posters
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, of the 49.6 million students enrolled in elementary and secondary school in 2022, 14.4 million were Hispanic. With the growing number of Spanish-speaking student, Explore The Trades recognized an opportunity to make sure skilled trades information is accessible to more students.
Plumbing Career Path
Infographic
HVAC Career Path
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Electrical Career Path
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Introduce the Skilled Trades to Your Classroom
MORE THAN AN ELECTIVE
“More Than an Elective” is a partnership program created to get the skilled trades back in the classroom. It’s made exclusively for educators and school counselors. Learn more about this program.
Why Should Young Adults Consider a Career in the Trades?
The real question is why not? Working for a plumbing, heating, cooling, or electrical service company provides many career opportunities and has great benefits.
If your child or student is asking what it’s like to be a trades technician, tell them this:
As a technician, a typical day will include:
Service technicians travel to different homes and meet new clients each day. You’ll be like an everyday superhero, taking care of your community, fixing plumbing, heating, cooling, or electrical problems and keeping homeowners safe and healthy in their homes.
As a technician, you’ll be working at different locations each day. You’ll find a sense of accomplishment in seeing your skills put into action to find solutions for your customers!
From the start, people are earning while they’re learning. Apprenticeships provide thorough and extensive on-the-job training and education. That means young people are earning a wage while learning technical, highly sought-after skills and on their way to six-figure salaries (not six-figure student loan debt).
Your work truck is your own space. It’s a mobile office and warehouse all in one. Keeping it clean, fully stocked and organized will not only make your job easier, but will provide you with a sense of pride.
New technologies in the trades are always advancing. As a technician, you’ll not only provide customers with devices that save on utility expenses, but are also energy-efficient and help protect the environment.
Looking for a career that provides for leadership growth and development? Look no further! The trades provide opportunities that allow you to master your technical abilities in the field and continue your path as a service manager, general manager, or even as a business owner.
HELP GEN Z START A CAREER IN THE TRADES
Our partners are essential to the success of Explore The Trades’ efforts to bridge the technical talent gap in the plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical trades. Support from industry-leading companies and residential service businesses make accomplishing our mission possible and are leading the way in growing the skilled trades industry.
Trade Apprenticeships for Young Adults
Apprenticeships are a proven path to success in the skilled trades. These programs combine classroom instruction with hands-on, paid training, giving young adults real-world experience while they build valuable technical skills.
The benefits of an apprenticeship go beyond the paycheck. Apprentices gain industry-specific knowledge, earn while they learn, and enter the workforce with a competitive edge and little to no student debt.
In most states, becoming a licensed plumbing, HVAC, or electrical technician requires completing formal training at a trade or technical school. Some students begin their apprenticeships while still in school, while others complete school first and then begin on-the-job training. Either way, apprenticeships offer a direct, rewarding route to a stable and high-paying career.
Watch our video to learn more about apprenticeships.
What is an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships are a time-tested employee training system that combines job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences.
The benefits of going through an apprenticeship are many! Apprentices gain skills and in-depth industry knowledge through paid on-the-job training that puts them ahead of the crowd in their pursuit to a great career.
Most states require aspiring skilled PHCE technicians complete formal education through a trade or technical college. In some instances, students may complete their apprenticeship during school as part of their training. Other times, a license may be obtained in school, then followed by an apprenticeship.
Watch our video to learn more about apprenticeships.
Explore The Trades Skills Lab: Built by Ferguson
Since 2021, the “Explore The Trades Skills Lab, Built by Ferguson” initiative has brought plumbing and HVAC education to 35 schools across 17 states, impacting more than 3,500 students. By introducing hands-on skilled trades training into middle and high school classrooms, we’re helping young people discover rewarding career paths while strengthening local communities.
The skilled trades are essential to every community’s success—and we invite schools nationwide to apply for equipment grants to bring plumbing and HVAC training to their students.
STEM & the Skilled Trades
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are the driving forces behind innovation across every industry, and the skilled trades are no exception. From designing complex electrical systems to solving real-world HVAC challenges, STEM is at the core of the essential work trades professionals do every day.
Skilled trades like plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical are hands-on applications of STEM in action. These careers offer stability, growth, and the chance to make a lasting impact in communities across the country.
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at each of these trades and show how STEM powers the work that keeps people safe, healthy, and comfortable.
From understanding circuitry and energy flow to applying math and physics on the job, electricians rely on STEM every day to install, repair, and maintain the systems that power our homes, schools, and communities. It’s a hands-on, high-demand career path that brings technical knowledge to life while offering stability, growth, and purpose.
Technicians use principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and electrical systems to install and maintain heating, ventilation, and air conditioning equipment. From diagnosing system performance to improving energy efficiency, HVAC careers bring STEM skills to life—offering young adults a stable, hands-on path with long-term growth and real-world impact.
Plumbers apply math, physics, and engineering concepts to design, install, and repair water and drainage systems that are essential to public health and safety. From calculating water pressure to understanding materials and system layouts, plumbing offers a hands-on, high-impact career path where STEM knowledge directly improves daily life.
Encourage Young Adults to Learn More About Careers in Plumbing, HVAC, & Electrical
Learn how each trade can lead to a stable, rewarding future.
