Choosing a Trade: P1 Group Experts Sound Off
May 1 is , so what better time to celebrate our own men and women in the trades.
Labor Shortage
There鈥檚 a lot of information out there regarding the serious . Between Baby Boomers retiring and far fewer young people pursuing skilled labor careers, the pipeline is thin.
Kollin Knox, P1 Group President, says another problem is academia isn鈥檛 capturing young people at the right age and encouraging them to consider trades.
鈥淛ust like many parents who would rather see their children pursue a four-year degree and corporate job, academia has not typically been promoting or encouraging careers in the trades,鈥� Kollin said.
The good news is Kollin sees that starting to turn around as more counselors and educators realize college isn鈥檛 for everyone.
鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to find that academia is cooperating more with those of us recruiting for the trades by promoting that you can earn a very nice living as a skilled craftsperson,鈥� he notes.
Kollin also notes if you鈥檙e trying to recruit kids in college, you鈥檙e probably too late.
鈥淲e need to get kids that decide not to go to college or are in vocational schools. As an industry, we should focus our recruiting efforts toward a younger age than we have historically, preferably at the high school level.鈥�
College Isn鈥檛 for Everyone
The four-year college degree trend may be changing as the younger generations grow tired of the high-dollar loans and low entry-level pay of the white collar world.
According to the article 鈥溾�� in Forbes, 鈥渕ore and more members of Generation Y are taking advantage of on-site training and even apprenticeships, rather than betting a college education will result in a career that will impress and appease their parents.鈥�
Kollin notes that while working in a trade requires physical labor and can be harder on the body (which may deter some), there are certainly distinct advantages.
- No high-dollar, high-interest student loans
- Free education while earning income during apprenticeships
- Accelerated early earning potential and good benefits
- Move into an office position later 鈥� project managers, virtual design specialists and others often come from the field
- Portable career: if business is slow in your region, go somewhere else.
- Satisfaction: seeing a finished project offers a tangible reward.
Brain and Brawn
It鈥檚 not all physical labor, either. Kollin points out that the dependence on ever-evolving technology is as much a part of the construction industry as it is any other industry.
鈥淭here are more technology-related jobs, like virtual design construction, coming online in our industry that require more brain than brawn,鈥� Kollin said.
Pam Nolte, Senior VDC Specialist for Piping, is a plumber by trade but now works in the P1 Group Virtual Design and Construction department.
鈥淧lumbing was actually a second career 鈥� it was recommended to me by a friend who worked for P1 Group. He said so many good things about it, I decided to do it,鈥� Pam explained.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a good living. I wasn鈥檛 afraid of physical work, and I like building things. There鈥檚 a lot of satisfaction in building something and seeing your work. When I was out in the field I did a lot of layout and organizing.鈥�
Looking to the future, Pam decided to transition to the office. 鈥淪ince I have more physical limitations now, I had to think about that,鈥� she said.
鈥淎nd really, this job is no different, I鈥檓 just doing it on the computer instead of out in the field. I鈥檓 still doing the layout, utilizing code and reading prints. It鈥檚 just not as labor intensive.鈥�
Learning a trade might just be a surer path to a stable job, and we look forward to the next generation of craftsmen and women.
From the Field: P1 Group Experts Share Experience
