There’s no doubt about it: lineworkers have one of the most important jobs in our country. They keep our lights on, quite literally. Lineworkers are responsible for setting up, maintaining, and repairing the power lines that bring electricity from the powerplant to our homes, businesses, and communities.
After a major storm, natural disaster, or other emergency, lineworkers are often some of the first on the scene, bravely facing the elements and risky situations to repair power lines and restore power. In between major events, lineworkers are always hard at work, delivering power to new developments and areas, and making sure our power lines are safe and secure.
It’s a big job, and with great power (pun intended) comes great responsibility: the responsibility to keep our nation up and running.
Everybody loves a good comeback story, and skilled tradespeople are about to have their moment, or perhaps decade, in the sun. If you’ve ever considered pursuing a career in the building trades, NOW is the time!
Construction is booming. 2022 and 2023 are poised to be big years in construction, and, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed in November of 2021, the demand for men and women in the skilled workforce has never been greater.
The IIJA bill contains an estimated $550 billion in new spending that will be used to improve U.S. roads, bridges, and water systems, and includes funding for projects in public transportation and broadband. Who will be needed to do the majority of that work? You guessed it: skilled tradespeople. President Biden was quoted as saying that the bill will create millions of union jobs all across the country. Plus, new IIJA work aside, the American Institutes of Architects’ Consensus Construction Forecast predicts non-residential construction in the United States will grow 4.6% in 2022, and Oxford Economics and ConstructConnect predict a 9% growth in the residential sector. Those are staggering numbers!
For the women and men who have pursued or are pursuing a career in the building trades, the opportunities are bountiful and almost limitless in the years and decade(s) to come. With boomers retiring from the skilled labor workforce and many younger generations choosing 4-year degrees over trade school in hopes of “more opportunity,” the pool of skilled labor is shrinking, while the need is great and only growing. In the current market, skilled tradespeople are already reaping all the benefits that come with high demand for their unique skills - job security, rich benefits, rising pay, and endless opportunity - and we’ve only scratched the surface of the level of demand to come.
What’s more, tradesmen and tradeswomen will be doing some of the most meaningful, rewarding, and exciting work in the years to come. They will be, quite literally, building a better America with their hands. Talk about work you can hang your hat on and be proud of!
If you’ve been considering a career in the building trades, what are you waiting for? The time is now, and the future is brighter than ever before!
We’d love to have you join us. Learn how to get started with a rich and rewarding career in the building trades today.
During the “Great Resignation” of 2021, millions of U.S. workers left their jobs. According to data recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record 4.5 million workers in America quit in November 2021 alone. What’s more, 74% of full-time workers say they’re planning on quitting their jobs in 2022. The reason? U.S. workers are citing dissatisfaction with pay and benefits, work life balance, and career advancement, but that’s only part of the story. After 2 years of pandemic life, stress levels are at an all-time high, employee engagement is extremely low (34%), and much of the American workforce is feeling undervalued, overworked, and struggling to find meaning and purpose in their jobs and careers.
The million-dollar question being asked by these millions of people: what jobs do the 34% of engaged, satisfied employees have, and how do I get that job, too?
We’ve got the answer: many of them work in the building trades. A recent report showed that 83% of tradespeople are still highly satisfied in their choice of work, despite all of the hurdles and hardships that the pandemic has imposed on all of us.
A new year, a fresh start. Around this time of year, you likely spend some time reflecting on the past year - how you spent it, how you wish you had spent it - and thinking about what you want the year ahead to be like. What are your goals, dreams, and aspirations? What will you change? What will you keep the same?
While the most common new year’s resolutions revolve around health and fitness - eating healthier, exercising more, etc. - 21% of people listed pursuing a career ambition as one of their top resolutions last year, and for good reason. We spend roughly 90,000 hours, which equates to ⅓ of our lifetime, at work. That’s a lot of time! And yet, in a recent survey, 50% of respondents said they disliked their jobs, citing reasons like unfair pay, underappreciation, being overworked, and no opportunity for advancement.
As you’re reflecting on the past year and your career, does this sound like you? Are you unhappy where you are, and ready to make a change? Are you ready to pursue a new career that is rewarding, fulfilling, and never boring? One that you actually love? Consider joining the thousands of men and women who are pursuing a career in the building trades as electricians, sheet metal workers, plumbers, roofers, glaziers, painters, and more!
Year after year, those in the skilled trades report higher job satisfaction than other professions. Why? The building trades offer:
Did you know that the average American spends approximately 90% of their time indoors, and that nearly 86% of American workers sit all day at their jobs? As humans, our bodies were designed to move often and freely in the outdoors, not sit at desks in artificial light and stale air. Countless studies have proven that few things are better for our health than spending time outdoors, on our feet, in natural light.
This is why a job in the building trades is such a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. As we all know, many construction jobs take place outdoors. For example, tradesmen and women build homes and office buildings, they construct bridges and highways, they maintain the power and telephone grids, and they install the networks and charging stations our electrified homes and cars need. There are exceptions, of course, but even the tradespeople who work indoors more frequently, such as the finishers, spend considerably more time outdoors than the vast majority of the population. The mental and physical benefits are countless. Spending time outdoors:
In Fiscal Year 2020, more than 221,000 individuals nationwide entered the apprenticeship system. Apprenticeships are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason! They’re a great way to kickstart a fulfilling career, where you’ll make good money, have great job security, rich benefits, and so much more. Not to mention, apprentices take on little to no debt, and actually earn while they’re learning. It’s no wonder there has been a 70% growth in new apprentices since 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
But what is an apprenticeship, exactly? Let’s explore what it is, why it’s so beneficial, and how you, too, can join the ranks and enjoy the good life through an apprenticeship.
Veterans are some of the most dedicated, disciplined, hardworking members of our society. Yet, many veterans struggle when it comes to assimilating to civilian life. One of their greatest worries is being able to find a well-paying, stable career where their unique and valuable experience, skills, and talents can not only be used, but honored and celebrated.
It’s no wonder so many veterans have found great success when transitioning to a career in the building trades. The skills that military service members and veterans are known and revered for, such as their problem-solving ability, strong work ethic, leadership, self-confidence, and handiness, are the same skills and attributes that make a truly great tradesperson. It’s a natural match. Also, the trades offer great pay, work-life balance, job security and stability, and have some of the highest satisfaction rates.
What’s more, the building trades also have a reverence for veterans that few other industries have. For decades, the building trades have been committed to providing quality career opportunities for veterans and helping them successfully transition back into civilian life. There are many initiatives across and between trade groups that help to ease the transition by providing ways for active military to get started in their new career, even before they’ve officially left the military. Examples of popular programs include:
As a kid, the scariest things in life were the dark and things that lived in the dark: goblins, ghouls, monsters under the bed, and ghosts. As we got older, our fear of ghosts and the dark may have faded but we are still often scared of the new or the unknown.
If you’ve ever considered a major career shift, you know this type of fear well - the fear that comes with not knowing what lies ahead and feeling unprepared. Will it be worth it? What if I fail? What if I’m not qualified or don’t have the training for the job I’d love to have? Is it worth it to start over, when I’ve already invested time and energy in my current career? What If I’m not good at it? And on the other hand, what if you don’t make a change? If you stay in your current career, will that lead to a life of regret? Will you be unhappy and unfulfilled day in and day out? These are big and hard questions. No wonder it feels scary!
But it doesn’t have to be. By entering an apprenticeship to begin a rewarding career in the building trades, most, if not all, of the what-ifs are covered for you:
What if we told you that you could create for a living and make good money while doing it? You’d probably be skeptical, and we wouldn’t blame you. But a creative career that pays well, with amazing benefits no less, is possible through a career in the building trades.
“Artist” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you think of someone who is working on a construction site. Chances are you think of someone with physical toughness, and not a well-trained and delicate hand like that of an artist or artisan.
But now consider what you think of when you hear about someone who is an artist, artisan, or creative. You think of someone who has a talent for making something out of nothing. Someone who is extremely and specially skilled, likely works with their hands, and creates things that are new and original. They have unique talents, and a honed craft. Many of the building trades, such as carpenters, metalworkers, bricklayers, painters, electrical workers, are all known for the very same things, and require the same creative skills to master their craft.
In the building trades, workers get to create all day long, using their hands to build tangible and beautiful objects and systems. There’s true artistry in every facet of their jobs, and at the end of each day they get to stand back with pride and marvel at their masterpieces. Whether it’s a field of solar panels, an architectural sheet metal roof on a museum, the decorative painting on the side of a building, or the metalwork that holds up a skyscraper, the men and women who work construction are building things that are beautiful and lasting.
The pay and benefits for this work are great, too! Not only do tradesmen and women have careers that are fulfilling and rewarding, they earn good wages, and have access to great benefits like health insurance, paid time off, sick leave, unemployment insurance, job security, a pension, and so much more! And as a bonus, the hours are consistent, providing a great work-life balance that allows time for continuing to create outside of work, too.
If you have a creative mind, love working with your hands, but are struggling to find a career that can feed your passions while paying the bills, we encourage you to explore the building trades. Learn more about the trades and how to get started with an apprenticeship today!
You’ve likely heard of someone being “in the trades” or being a “tradesperson.” You may have even heard someone say: “You’d do well in the trades!” But, what is a trade job, and how is it different from other jobs or professions?
