The National Skilled Trades Day: Celebrating the Skilled Trades Workforce
Skilled trades have a vital role in our daily lives. From repairing cars, installing plumbing systems, setting up electrical structures, providing medical services – all of these job responsibilities and more have been carrying the fundamental needs of our society. That’s why National Skilled Trades Day on the first Wednesday of May is only fitting to highlight the contribution of skilled workers in the community.
How the National Skilled Trades Day Started
It was the private entity City Machine Technologies, Inc. that established the National Skilled Trades Day as a way to promote and encourage participation in the skilled trades workforce. The company went through a period of lacking enough skilled workers to fill up its labor force. By coming up with the celebration, the company was able to raise awareness of the decreasing supply of skilled workers against the rising demand.
These skilled workers go through specialized training and impart their skills to deliver essential installations and services. They are the unsung heroes of building the nation and making the community function.
Throughout the years, starting from industrialization to modern times, there have been efforts to put skilled trades at the forefront.
1865 – 1900
The Gilded Age, a time of industrialization in the U.S., brought the attention of skilled labor from craft unions.
1901 – 1925
The Socialist Party of America, which briefly became one of the largest socialist organizations, was established and later declined. A majority of skilled workers composed the organization.
The 2000s
Skilled machinists in the U.S.A. had an increase in their average monthly wages.
2019
Celebrating the first National Skilled Trades Day on May 1.
The efforts of City Machine Technologies – an industrial shop from Youngstown, Ohio – in organizing the National Skilled Trades Day paid off. Later, it became a nationally-recognized celebration. Today, every first Wednesday of May is dedicated to recognizing the skilled trades workforce.
What Counts as a Skilled Trade?
The skilled trades sector is composed of several clusters of workers whose duties and responsibilities provide much-needed services. Here are the occupations that are considered skilled trades:
Construction
Carpenters, plumbers, masons, HVAC technicians, electricians, gasfitters, and many others
Industrial
Machinists, welders, metal fabricators, manufacturing production, and many others
Agricultural
Farm or ranch managers, animal husbandry, greenhouse managers, and many others
Service
Food service managers, chefs, bakers, landscape architects, therapists, nurses, and many others
Each of these occupations requires skills to conduct their jobs. They receive vocational training and apprenticeships to be fully equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their duties. As an alternative to getting a bachelor’s degree, the skilled trades provide fulfilling opportunities for those that want to have a rewarding career with handsome pay.
The Demand for Skilled Trades
It is through the observation of the National Skilled Trades Day that the increasing demand for more skilled workers to enter the sector has been put into the focus. Various business and government organizations are concerned about filling up key positions, particularly for skilled trades.
Adecco, a private staffing agency, cites that 62% of firms are struggling to find skilled workers as baby boomers are now on the brink of retirement. Whether that’s 542,680 electricians or 230,580 industrial engineers – there is a growing demand for more skilled occupations.
This is the reason why contractors are pushing for a more collaborative response between training skilled workers and connecting them to potential job opportunities. Power Partner MN is one with the trades sector in celebrating the National Skilled Trades Day with its impressive mechanism of linking apprentices, contractors, and customers in one network.
Do you want to be part of the trades and fulfill the passion of sharing your skills with the community? Power Partner MN has apprenticeship programs available for interested electricians. Contact us today to get started with a rewarding career in the trades.