Promoting Skilled Trades as a Viable Career Path for Students Free

Many people don’t realize that they can have a successful career with craft skills. High school shop classes used to be a place where people were introduced to these crafts. It really presented the option that there are alternative career paths, instead of advocating for all students to go straight to college and get as much education as possible. It’s a shame that they have been phased out of many schools. For those who can’t go to college, the military is often where people look next, leaving construction trades as the last option.

What they don’t understand is that these trades shouldn’t be a last option. You can make a great living for yourself, where you make good money without having college debt. It’s extremely important for us to educate parents and families about that.

For those who are just starting out their careers without any experience, apprenticeship opportunities can help them hit the ground running.

For example, a few years ago, a mother approached me at one of the AMPP (Association for Materials Protection and Performance) events. She told me that her son didn’t know what he wanted to do when he graduated. She asked if I could meet with them to talk about his interests and share additional career paths. I met with her, her husband, and her son and I came to really understand where his head was at.

I told her son that getting into the trades, at a time in which he’s trying to figure out life, could really help him out. He ended up joining the IUPAT apprenticeship program, graduated from it, and is doing really well. He recently decided to continue with his education and is going to college; however, he and his family remain appreciative of him joining the trades.

For so many, taking one of these apprenticeships is the key to learning valuable skills and finding the right career path for them. The apprenticeships provide people with a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job learning, setting them up for success in the years to come.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to educating — educating our parents, school counselors, and society that trades careers are a valuable option. It’s not the last stop. In fact, it should be one of the first stops that we talk about in school. You can make a career for yourself, no matter what. Learning a craft skill can make you employable for the rest of your life.

It can save a lot of kids out there that are lost, because they were not given the education of how they can make a career out of the trades. I was a guy that wasn’t going to college or anything like that. I was homeless for a while until somebody told me about the apprenticeship program. I never knew about it, and I never knew about craft skills. I didn’t have that option.

Since then, it’s been over 35 years. I have a nice house. I have a college degree. Now, I have an occupational safety and health degree. I hope I can help a lot of others who are out there, today, in similar positions. I feel like I matter and I belong.