The Supply and Demand of the Skilled Trades: Why we need to encourage the changing perception of trades work

By: Ashley Pierce, Western Chester County Chamber of Commerce

Whena winter storm rages on outside, we turn up our heat and enjoy the warmth. When a particularly sweltering summer day is upon us, we race inside to reside in the cool air. When the day is dreary and dark, we flip on our light switches. We drive on roads and over bridges to get to work, the grocery store, to see our loved ones. The skilled trades are all around us, in our daily lives and in our daily moments. The monumental impact that the skilled trades have on our lives often goes unnoticed. Not only does it go unnoticed, but there’s been an outlook on the trades careers that has been passed through the generations. This outlook is not a new one; it has circled around the trades world for decades, hanging over both high school students and trades workers. In 1965, the Federal Family Education Loan program was enacted through the Higher Education Act. Millions were given the opportunity to afford college and, although positive, it shifted the national focus toward college education as the right path. (Generation T, 2019.) The next decade, high schools were being deemed successful based on how many students were enrolling into college, not how many were transitioning in the workforce, with job-ready skills. In the 1980s, due to pop culture, jobs in the financial field skyrocketed. With the stock market on an upswing, people yearned for the thrill of Wall Street, pulling away potential workers from the skilled trades. With the 1990s came the internet and with that, ecommerce for businesses. With the bursting potential of the internet, schools prioritized technology training and focused less so on vocational training. Many programs were cut from school curriculums and this impacted society’s view on these skills; they were unimportant or irrelevant. “The lack of these programs in schools led to a generation who did not have the opportunity to learn these skills, which has had a negative impact on the workforce. There was now a shortage of skilled laborers in the U.S., as the demand for these jobs had increased while the supply of skilled workers had decreased.” (Generation T, 2019.) The new millennium brought the dotcom and the house marketing crash, spiking unemployment and halting trades work, specifically construction. This amplified the notion that was already in place - trades work was unreliable and for those who couldn’t amount to “more.” “70% of construction workers polled in a 2000 Clemson University study said they didn’t want their children to follow in their career footsteps.” (Generation T, 2019.) As we stand now, with the decadeslong ill perception of the skilled trades, we’re met with a harrowing future. Over half of skilled tradespeople are 45 years old or older. As the majority of tradespeople head towards retirement, there is not enough entering the skilled trades to replace them. (Career Profiles, 2021.)

While pursuing a college degree is the right path for some, it isn’t for everyone, nor is it a lesser option or a back-up plan. “After decades of pushing bachelor’s degrees, the stigma of choosing trade school over college has grown, especially when college has held up as a proven path to success, and parents may worry when their children opt for a vocational school education.” said Greg Vietri, owner of G.A. Vietri, Inc. Viewing a trades career as a place you land when you can’t reach college is a dangerous narrative to push, as it labels trades as unimportant, when the work tradespeople are doing is intertwined with all of our daily lives. It could steer people away from proudly entering the trades, at a time when the trades workforce is already dwindling. Joe DiBiase, owner of DiBiase Heating and Cooling Company, said, “Building and fixing things brings great satisfaction and creates a sense of pride when you accomplish something to better someone’s life. We are in the comfort business. Comfort is vital to the well-being of our society.” When asked what the trades offer young people entering the workforce, he responded, “The trades are an opportunity for young people to choose a great career that is stable work with great pay and benefits for those that love to learn and enjoy different challenges.”

In 2020, total student loan debt surpassed $1.7 trillion, with 5.1 million direct loan borrowers. (CNBC, 2020.) College graduates are being weighed down with the debt of their perceived much-needed education to make it in the workforce. The U.S. Department of Education says that trades workers are more likely to be employed and more likely to be working in their field of study. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2021.) “It is a cultural rebuild, with many states spending millions of dollars launching cam- paigns to revive the reputation of the vocational system. Vocational schools prepare students for the trades, placing them on a fast track to a rewarding skilled profession. There has never been a better time to learn a skilled trade.” Greg Vietri said. With the projected job growth, coupled with the ability to stay nearly or completely debt-free, the trades pathway is open for those who don’t feel a four-year university is the correct route for them.

Skilled trades offer us access to water, access to electricity, safe buildings and homes, safe infrastructure, and clean energy. It’s not work for those of a lesser caliber, it’s work that keeps us healthy and safe and able to live our lives. The world must change their perception of trades work, to lift those interested in a trades career up, before there is no one left to build our homes, our schools, and our world.