Skilled Trades Need More Truth, Less Fairy Tales

Growing up, I never thought about the future job application while considering my career. I had things in mind that I would like to do, like designing houses or delving into human psychology. Then, during the summers between semesters, I got my first glimpse of factory life, and I loved it. If I hadn’t had to deal with certain health issues and the (prescription) medications that go with them, I might have stayed in school and become an architect or psychologist. But since it was, I hated going to class and loved working in a manufacturing plant.

Life is too short to be stuck in a full time job that you hate. Our education system needs to do a better job of exposing middle and high school students to different ways of making a living. If all you base your decision on is how much money you can make and how many openings there could be in eight years, chances are you will be trapped in a career that sucks in every way outside. salary. Earning money is certainly important, but so is your quality of life Monday through Friday and beyond. Studies show, however, that for most students entering the trades, potential earnings are the primary concern.

It’s a subject close and dear to me, and while I prefer not to beat a dead horse, I still feel like there is a battle for our souls in the skilled trades arena. Whenever a “pro-business” group or organization pops up, they feel the need to blow up regurgitated bullshit and numbers out of context to their audience, both in terms of salary and job prospects. If they have bad intentions, if raising money from industry and their lobbyists or increasing their followers is their only goal, then none of the facts we present will matter. But if they speak out of ignorance, if they really care about trades people and believe in statistics because they sound positive, then maybe we can reach them. And either way, we can keep moving forward by presenting the truth to everyone so that the next generation of blue collar workers can make their own decisions based on facts, not fairy tales.

The problem with these groups is not always obvious. You might see a new IG account running a welding contest, or collaborating with an industry influencer, or sharing a cool job and thinking, “See, that’s healthy; who could dispute that? I happen to think that transparency matters, that motives count. When glossy content turns into sales pitches, a program beyond your well-being usually emerges.

Here are some talking points to look for to determine if a group or organization is in your best interests. These are industry tropes that do not stand up to scrutiny.

“Everyone is retiring! “

No, they are not. The average age of a tradesperson has not suddenly increased. In fact, it went down in most cases. Even though the number has remained stable, this is not necessarily a good sign that vacancies will increase a lot, if at all. People are working longer. They retire later because they cannot afford it at 65. In fact, these age groups are the fastest growing demographics in the labor market.

“Look at all the money you will make! “

Yes, you can make a good living working in the trades. But all things considered – and it pains me to say this – you still have a much better chance of getting a high salary with a college degree. Now, in fairness, without scholarships or grants, college can get expensive. Likewise, the highest paying jobs in welding, for example, also require investment. A trades school, welding facility, insurance, constant commutes away from family and seven-day work weeks are the norm for men and women in the volatile energy industry where welders earn the most money. ‘silver. If you like what you’re doing then it’s worth it! If you don’t, your life takes a heavy toll. The median salary for a welder is around $ 42,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Like it or not, these are the facts.

“3 million jobs in the skilled trades will be available in 2029! “

First, those who make this claim are often very vague with the definition of “skilled trades”. Then similar screenings happen every year and have been happening for as long as I can remember. Search it on Google. The solutions always push trade schools towards children and ask taxpayers for subsidized training. The only solution that I don’t remember being offered by anyone is a significant wage increase from employers for to attract and keep Talent. The same big business owners who praise capitalism and fix the price of their products in the free market, and justify price increases with supply and demand and inflation, treat labor as a fixed price, no matter what. ‘he is coming. This is why corporate profits are skyrocketing while wages remain low.

Check their sources. Follow the asterisk next to the numbers. Follow the trail.

There is an ongoing campaign by Project MFG called “Clash of the Trades”. Sounds legitimate enough, seems to have numbers that would support the idea that entering the trades equates to job security with great pay. Then follow the asterisk. Here it leads to a report put together by an entity that is funded by and exists only to help the big cats in the industry, not us the folks who work for the big cats in the industry. In some cases, this may be an industry-backed “not-for-profit” think tank, or a glorified human resources company paid to recruit an “affordable” workforce. Often, as in this case, they refer to “studies” carried out by other paid organizations under the same umbrella.

They use Deloitte as their source – a multinational “professional services” organization that is hired by large companies to perform a variety of tasks, from financial auditing to strategy consulting. Or, you know, covering up their client’s financial fraud and writing bogus studies to stem legislation that could harm their client.

The stated objective of this organization is to renew respect for tradespeople. I can get behind this! But not at the expense of the truth. There is no skills gap without a pay gap first, and when the industry finally catches up with pay, you’ll suddenly have a respected profession with the best and the brightest clamoring to join you. Without this? Just more smoke and mirrors.

Why do these groups exist? To fill current and future industry positions in the cheapest way possible. They want numbers. They want more fish in the barrel because we are fighting each other, willing to take less, for fewer jobs instead of fighting for us by offering higher wages and more benefits. .

I love to solder. I love to craft. I love the manufacturing industry and the people who make it up. We can promote trades ethically, with facts. But it has to be from the ground up; it must come from you, from me, from our contemporaries, because those above us have a very different agenda. Stay alert with the truth, convenient or not.

Bharat Ramamurti, the current deputy director of the National Economic Council, recently posted it on Twitter.