With careers that provide exciting projects, meaningful work, fantastic benefits, great pay, limitless opportunities for growth, and an enviable work-life balance, it’s no wonder that construction tradespeople hear “wow, you’re so lucky!” quite often.
For many people and in many professions, success often does come down to luck - who you know, who you meet, being in the right place at the right time, etc. - but a successful career in the trades has nothing to do with luck.
Constructing the future is more than choosing a trade, learning a craft, and building a career. Today, anyone has the opportunity to have a career in the construction trades with safe working conditions, benefits, and good pay, but that hasn’t always been the case.
In honor of Black History Month, this post is about how the construction trades, especially the union construction trades, grappled with how to bring Black workers into their ranks, integrate them, and ultimately give them a big role and a big voice in the trades.
For many years, the trades excluded Black workers, just like they were excluded from public transport, schools, stores, and other public institutions. Progress and inclusion came slowly for the trades labor unions, pushed forward by changes both within and without.
In Chicago, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 134 was one of the first to support Black electrical workers. In 1919, Samuel Taylor joined the IBEW and in 1922, he founded Taylor Electric, the first Black-owned union electrical company as an IBEW member. The company is still operating today. In 1943, Local 134 also had the first Black business representative and was one of the first local trade unions to include Black members in leadership.
Not every trades group and local union was so supportive. After being excluded, many Black workers refused to give up, and they continued to organize for better pay and better working conditions. On top of that, they also shouldered the burden of fighting for integration and equality. Organizations like the Negro American Labor Council (NALC) were founded to support Black workers. They organized major events like the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that helped push forward the Civil Rights Movement and Black workers’ acceptance into the building trades.
These efforts helped bring us to a better future for all workers. Black tradespeople are an integral part of the building trades today, serving in positions of leadership, reflecting the lasting influence of these early members and organizers. African Americans have risen to the highest ranks in the trades. For example, Kenneth Rigmaiden, the immediate past General President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), was the first African American elected president of a building trades union. As GP, he fought passionately to advance workers’ rights and immigrant rights and was a leading advocate for racial and economic justice.
Because of our African American tradespeople’s dedication and commitment to building a better and more inclusive tomorrow, all the trades workers now enjoy better pay, safe working conditions, and long-term benefits. During Black History Month we look back and recognize the contributions of our Black members who created these opportunities for all of us.
Have you ever been stuck in a job that makes the movie Groundhog Day, or actual Groundhog Day, hit a little too close to home - one that seems to repeat itself over and over again, day after day, no matter how hard you try to break the cycle?
With AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics becoming more and more sophisticated, many people are starting to wonder about the future of work and worry about their jobs. Will chatbots take over the jobs of customer service agents and receptionists? Will bookkeeping and data entry be handled only by machines? Will we never again interact with a traditional human server or cashier in the near future? Will robots handle all of our manufacturing and logistics?
While AI is starting to significantly impact and replace jobs and job functions in many industries, there are many skills that AI can never replace, and many of those skills are critical for success in the building trades.
Despite advanced AI technology, there’s a lot that AI can’t do, like the parts of jobs that require:
Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
Why is work worth doing such a prize? Over a lifetime, the average person spends roughly 90,000 hours working. In a week, we spend more time at work than we do pursuing hobbies or being with our families. Imagine spending all that time on work that you weren’t passionate about or fulfilled by. Imagine feeling no purpose in the work you do. That would sound more like a life-sentence than a life, and certainly not a prize.
On the other hand, imagine finding a career that means something, not just to you, but to the people around you - a career that serves and betters your community and contributes to the greater good of society. That’s work that has purpose, that you can take pride in.
There’s a common misconception that anyone off the street can pick up a few tools and get to work in construction - even if they have little to no experience or training. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! Just because you don’t need a four-year college degree to work in the building trades, doesn’t mean that you don’t need any skills, education, or specialized training. In fact, you need a LOT.
The transition from military to civilian life can be tough. The military is a way of life, not just a job. It’s a way of life that comes with great purpose, passion, belonging, and pride that can be difficult to replicate in a civilian career. And while they are highly trained, experienced, and skilled, transitioning veterans may find it difficult to secure a career where they feel like their unique talents can be put to good use. Many say they feel like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.
There’s one industry, though, that is a natural fit for veterans and transitioning military: the construction trades. Between the hands-on, goal-oriented nature of the work, the deep camaraderie among team members, and the celebration of skills like handiness, strategic thinking, leadership, adaptability, problem-solving, and more, it should come as no surprise that tens of thousands of veterans have found fulfilling and successful careers in the trades.
How did they find that success and make the transition? Through a registered apprenticeship program!
An apprenticeship is a program where workers learn a skilled trade through a combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Apprenticeship is similar to college in that it offers advanced instruction from an accredited program that prepares you for your career. Unlike college, however, apprentices earn while they learn and get paid while they’re on the job site. It’s certainly a great choice compared to sitting in a lecture hall for 4 years, especially for transitioning military who are used to a much more active, engaged, and hands-on way of life.
Not only do apprenticeships pay, but veterans can also can use their GI Bill benefits to supplement their income while completing a registered apprenticeship program. Many transitioning from the military don’t realize that GI Bill benefits can be used outside of more traditional education routes, including registered apprenticeships approved by the federal government. What’s great is that this is in addition to the income earned from on-the-job training!
The support for veterans in the building trade apprenticeship programs is unparalleled. Few industries have the reverence and respect for veterans and transitioning military like the construction trades. In fact, many have designed specific initiatives and programs to help veterans make a successful transition. A great example of this is The Veteran’s Electrical Entry Program (VEEP) by the electrical training ALLIANCE, which provides transitioning service members and recently separated veterans a more streamlined way to enter an apprenticeship in the high-demand field of electrical work.
If you’re an active service member who is about to transition or a veteran looking for a mission-focused and purpose-driven career - one where you feel like you fit in and your talents can be fully used and celebrated - we encourage you to explore a career in the construction trades. Learn more about apprenticeships, and get started today.
Veterans and active duty service members, we honor you and would be honored to work beside you.
Nowadays, it seems like every company is hiring, but not all the “Help Wanted” signs are the same. Right now, there are two types of jobs that companies are struggling to fill:
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Construction work has the reputation of being physically demanding and hard on your body. While some jobs in the building trades can be physically intense, there are many that don’t require brute strength or really much strength at all. It’s one of the biggest myths of construction work!
In fact, many people choose a career in the building trades because of the physical aspects. In the trades, work is active and engaging. No sitting in one place behind a desk for countless hours on end. In the trades, you’re up, moving, and working with your hands to build something meaningful and lasting. It is physical work, though, and physical work does require different abilities and skills than that of your average desk job.
Want to get started with a rich and rewarding career in the building trades, but not sure which craft to pursue? It can be tough to decide and to know how to decide.
As with any big decision in life, it’s important to do your research and carefully weigh the options before making a commitment. While all of the trades are great career options, you need to figure out which one is right for you.
