There’s been a big push for higher education in recent decades but not a push for technical or vocational training. With the recession, many people left their skilled labor job and never came back, leaving us with a national shortfall.
More and more skilled tradespeople are approaching retirement, and for the first time ever, there are more vacancies than people to fill them. Over half of skilled trade workers in the US are at least 45, and almost 20% are between 55 and 64. What happens when they retire? The Associated General Contractors of America reported in 2017 that contractors across the country are already struggling to find hourly craft workers (63% of contractors in the Northeast and 75% in the West). Some reports say that in the next decade, up to 2/3 of manufacturing jobs will go unfilled, unless we do something to fix this critical shortage.
So, what’s being done?
Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs started the nonprofit Profoundly Disconnected to challenge “the persistent belief that a four-year degree is automatically the best path for the most people.” It’s provided more than $3 million in education for trade schools in the US.
Last July, President Trump signed an executive order to expand apprenticeship opportunities. Just one year later, this past July, he announced the creation of the National Council for the American Worker, aimed at expanding apprenticeships and on-the-job training opportunities. As part of the efforts, they unveiled Apprenticeship.gov, a search portal to make those opportunities easily accessible and searchable by employers and job hunters alike.
At All-Tex, we want to offer ambitious, hard-working individuals with experience with pipe, valves and fittings the opportunity to have a great career and develop skills in leadership, operations or sales. Our Leadership & Sales Development program identifies and develops your strengths, passion and skillsets, then helps you align them with leadership tracks within the company. We offer a structured training curriculum that gives you experience with all departments and allows you to develop relevant skills and knowledge through hands-on training.
If you’re looking for a career that pays well and is always in demand, if your background is in PVF industries, apply today. Come back to an even brighter future or get farther along in your path today.