The skilled trades are certainly no stranger to the difficulties amidst a labor shortage. The most experienced trade pros are nearing retirement, and when you combine that with the lack of high school graduates entering the trades, the skills gap continues to grow.
Man has been using tools since the dawn of time — or just the Stone Age, really. However, that’s still 2.6 million years of evolution from hammerstones, hand axes and more. Nowadays, plumbers and pipefitters count on their tools of the trade to get the job done and keep their customers happy and healthy.
This month marks my seven-year anniversary with BNP Media, and seven years writing about the trades. When I first started, I knew next to nothing about HVAC and plumbing, not to mention I didn’t have any contacts or friends within the industry.
Summer is just around the corner, and things are beginning to look up in the U.S. More than 45% of American adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.