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  What does the statement "Hire what you can't train. Train what you can." have to do with the trades and apprenticeships? Over the past 25 years I have been training employers and people looking for work. One common thread is that employers can train their specialty but can't train the basics of being a productive and professional employee. I can train an accountant; I cannot train the ability to show up to work on time. Apprenticeships in the construction trades are a perfect example of this idea. If you are one of the people selected to take part in [...]

Ah, the mystery of applying for an apprenticeship with the trades. The application process is the question I receive the most from people who are interested. How do I apply? What is an 'Intent to Hire' letter? It can be frustrating when you make a decision to 'chance a dream' and then be stymied by a process which is different than what a person might anticipate. A person's anxiety can fire up and frankly cause them not to apply - which is a shame and could be easily avoided. So we have a video (linked below) from the Local 49 [...]

Many people "fall" into a career with the trades. It is what their dad did or what their mom's family did for a living and they were just expected to fall in line. Some people walked onto a job site and said they wanted a job... Sometimes things just work out. However, there are a lot of people who are in school, just out of school, or who have not found the right career as life has gone on and are considering the trades as a career option - those are "my people!" These are the people that aren't just [...]

They say that people do not look up enough – we stare at our feet and at the ground to make sure we do not trip. Sometimes we look up and take a chance, an opportunity to be amazed.  […]

I do not demand equal pay for any women save those who do equal work in value; help them understand that you are in their service as workers, not as women. ~ Susan B. Anthony […]

Safety – Every trade knows that paying attention to safety rules is the key to their labor force going home to their families at the end of every day. […]

If you are looking into a career in the trades, you might be afraid that your career search is on permanent hold right now… You would be wrong. Now is a great time to research and get the application process going. Many things have closed, furloughed, or stopped – much of the economy has stopped, much, but not the trades. The trades are going strong! Look outside when you take your next walk or drive to the store. Road construction, building projects are all on schedule and will need the skilled workforce to complete them. While you are looking into [...]

I am working with a high school student who wants to take advantage of an apprenticeship to land a great paying career with the electrical workers here in Duluth. Because of COVID, his school and the normal practices that go along with it have really been severed. Do the date expectations still apply? Will the apprenticeships still be available? Will the economy related to COVID even include apprenticeships? He is a student who has not experienced this and we are talking about his future, his goal - who can blame him for being anxious. Here is a part of our [...]

When you walk into a building, often the floor is the last thing you look at. It is an expectation that there is a floor and it serves its’ purpose. Carpets, vinyl, bricks, blocks, concrete, wood; floors help you get from point A to point B in an efficient and safe manner. Flooring is stereotyped as utilitarian at best – an afterthought at worst. […]