Unemployed Workers Turning To The Skilled Trades
Jobs are open if you're not too fussy. In an effort to keep people working, the US government is pouring funds into infrastructure.
For some of the US workforce looking for a job, this is a godsend.
"As long as you know how to use a hammer, someone will pay you a few bucks to do something," one formerly white collar worker said. "You can't outsource this kind of work. You can't call India to get a carpenter."
In the past, the usual advice given to many has been that you have to have a degree to get an office job in order to make it in the world. But at present, many workers, downsized by the recession and wondering if their old jobs will ever come back, are turning to more traditional trades that require using hands for some dirty work. Everything from carpentry to plumbing to digging.
These blue-collar types of jobs are coming back into fashion thanks in part to infrastructure investments from the federal government, a traditional way for governments to keep people working in a recession.
In addition, the government is getting everybody to save money, offering tax incentives to boost home energy efficiency, which is opening the door for everything from electricians to solar panel installers.
According to Clyde Hornberger, executive director for Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, "Many adults are seeking to improve their technical skills to gain a labor market advantage," Adult enrollment at the school has jumped 23% to 1057 from 855 in the past three years.
David Montano, Plumbing and Pipefitting Training Coordinator at Local 412 in Albuquerque, N.M., said the union has a waiting list of 200 people who want to get into the program and a total of 250 apprentices in the program now, compared to 55 apprentices 10 years ago. Among apprenticeship applications, he gets about 20 percent more from adults today than he did a decade ago.
At present, there isn't a big boom in demand the skilled trades because of the economy, but most labor and skilled-trade experts believe the future will tell another story.
According to statistics, many of the people in the trades will be retiring in the next five to 10 years. Not many workers are coming in to replace these retirees.
Initiatives signed and pushed forward by President Barack Obama's administration will lead to more jobs. For example, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 earmarked $5 billion for home weatherization. Estimates show that every $100 million worth of residential remodeling activity creates over 1,000 jobs.
Really Green Opportunities
Furthermore, the focus on green technologies has also sparked interest in the skilled trades.
According to Sandi Vito, Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, "In Pennsylvania, we predict 115,000 new jobs to be created over the next five years in the green economy. In the long term, there are real opportunities in the skilled trades."
Numerous apprenticeships within the skilled trades involve a combination of classroom studies and on-the-job training, working with an experienced trades workers.
For workers trying to figure out if welding or plumbing will be in demand where they live, Flynn suggested they contact their local Department of Labor career centers. You can find one near you by going to www.servicelocator.org and type in your zip code.
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