PAT2256896
Nov 9, 2025
Writing Feedback / The Value of Trade Jobs - High school Eng 102 Essay [2]
Patten Bryce
Mrs. Snyder
Eng 102
The Value of Trade Jobs
Imagine a world where everyone is persuaded to go to college and trades are ignored. There would be no one to; create electrical lines, set plumbing, or build houses. Trade occupations are jobs that require hands-on training or apprenticeships rather than needing a 4 year degree. In recent years more students have been persuaded to follow careers through college. This trend in college has led to a decline in blue-collar workers and a surplus of trade jobs. According to The Daily Reporter, "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in the construction sector will grow nearly 40% faster than the average for all jobs over the next decade." (McNutt 3) Finding trade workers isn't the issue, it's finding those who are educated and skilled that's the real struggle. Training workers in the blue-collar industry takes resources most companies aren't willing to give easily, especially already being so low on employees. Society will not be able to function without trade workers manufacturing; car parts, airplanes, and electronics or building houses, producing clean water, and AC. Trade workers are the backbone to the world as we know it. Trade jobs have become more valuable in recent years than ever due to, a trend in college, high demand for skilled trade workers, and the important role blue collar workers have in keeping up with infrastructure.
Where did this spike in college attendance and decline in trade workers come from? The decline started in 2010 as college started becoming the typical path after high school. The number of skilled trade workers dove off in 2020 during COVID, along with most other jobs. Covid was a hard time for the job market due to the government lock downs and quarantines which caused a lot of businesses to close and most consumers to stay home. McKinsey & Company claimed, "Increasing labor scarcity, amplified by the COVID-19 disruptions, has intensified competition for talent, raising the sectors' average wages by more than 20 percent since the first quarter of 2020" (Greenberg, Schaefer, Weddle 1) However, after COVID new businesses opened and most industries went back to normal. Unfortunately for the blue collar industry, instead of bouncing back, they continued to have a lack of workers. Inc. even says, "The BLS data say that employment for those skilled tradespeople is predicted to grow 9 percent from 2024's employment figures until 2034" (Eaton 2) After COVID, the skilled blue collar worker shortage isn't supposed to end until the 2030's spanning a whole 20 years of trade worker shortages. Unlike blue collar work, white collar workers have been able to adapt to the change brought about from COVID like; remote working and digital tools to keep employment from dropping to low. Innovation and modern solutions might be what the trade industry needs to be able to bounce back in employment. Unlike office jobs, blue collar workers need; in person, hands-on skills to do their job. Additionally, it did not help that during this time trade jobs seemed to be culturally looked down upon and less than. According to Forbes there is , "a cultural bias toward college degrees over vocational training [that] has created a persistent skills gap." (Kelly 3) Since trade workers had no work around with the internet during COVID and a cultural stigma around trades at the time led to a shortage of skilled trade workers leading to many issues.
Society needs its organization and functionality to run, white collar jobs often provide structure, trade jobs supply the physical labor needed to get things done. Without either, society will struggle to keep up with its needs and cease to run. After the shortage of workers, there have been several problems to arise like; slower infrastructure growth and vacant job positions. Trade Management recorded a, "demand for skilled laborers is expected to remain strong in the coming year, with an estimated need for half a million new workers." (Marketing 1) Vacant jobs are a huge problem to currently working employees of the trade, because they must pick up the slack of the half million employees. This puts a strain on the workers and the industry, leading to a poor work environment and quality of work. Not only is quality an issue but deadlines will be missed if there's not enough workers to complete it. Randstad says, work shortages cause , "a cascading effect throughout the supply chain that demands urgent attention. For example, a lack of skilled welders might mean fewer specialized parts can be produced" (Randstad 8) If there are less workers and more time needed and resources, there will be a rise in cost as well as the product or service will likely go down in quality. As Randstad said there will be an issue with the supply chain with this low amount of workers. Without as many workers as needed, nothing will get done on time and the cost will be unnecessarily high, therefore boosting not only the value but the need for blue collar jobs.
Three main things are what raise or lower the value of a job; high demand and low supply, necessity, and skill requirements. When there is a big need for skilled workers, companies are willing to give benefits and better pay, even more so when there is also a low supply of skilled workers, altogether boosting the value. According to SMACNA, in the sheet metal industry there are opportunities for, "apprentices earning up to $87,500 in their first year and as much as $120,000 to $200,000 in wages and benefits within four to five years of completing an apprenticeship program." (SMACNA 5) Also, unlike many office jobs that require schooling and student loan debt, you can enter a trade or apprenticeship for free, which gives young workers financial strength early on. In the year 2023 the medium pay for a household was on average $80,000, which puts this trade at double the average annual income. At a time of needing skilled workers who are good at their job companies are willing to compensate for the lack of workers. Not only are companies of employees willing to pay more for the skilled workman, but the value of trades has increased for more than money's sake. As previously established, at its core, society is run on a few core industries with one of them being the trade industry. Without skilled blue collar workers there would be no; electricity, houses built, or transportation. Contractor even said there has, "been a boom in infrastructure. Thus, there is a need for more workers to accommodate this increased demand as organizations and the government invest heavily in new projects" (Bowman 3) Not only is there a basic need for trades but in recent years there has been a spike in infrastructure growth,which is a problem for the trade industry being underemployed. Basic employees are not the only need, knowledge about the trade and skill are key to an efficient and productive tradesman. In an industry already down people and needing to be mainly taught hands on, this makes it difficult for companies to gain eligible employees. If there are no able and skilled workers to enter into the blue collar industry nothing will get done. When you take into account the; high demand and low supply, necessity, and skill requirements that the trade industry jobs all have you can see the true value in a skilled trade worker employee.
While the value of these trade careers has boomed, it can still be difficult to fix this shortage of workers and imbalance in the job market. If a solution is not found there will be social and economic repercussions that affect not just companies but the whole economy, that most are unaware of. Three main issues that will stem from this low supply of workers if not attended to include; infrastructure delays, price inflation, and unqualified workers. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary infrastructure is, "the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities" (Merriam-Webster) When there are infrastructure delays that means houses won't be built in time for new families, new roads for new cities, or plumbing for clean water. McKinsey & Company reported that even though the number have been low for skilled laborers that there is still a, "demand in US industry is projected to remain high due to infrastructure needs, a surge in real estate redevelopment, and the energy transition. (Greenberg, Schaefer, Weddle 7) With this boom in real estate and a need for tradesmen to build these houses the price of the houses and services will go up. When the houses become affordable no one will be able to own or even buy a house if things get out of hand enough. Not only is it an issue to have few trade workers but there will be an issue if there aren't any skilled professionals to build the houses. If trade industries start hiring unqualified workers out of desperation. Errors in work in infrastructure with the trade industry can lead to accidents, injuries, or even death. This shortage in skilled trade workers can lead to an economy with; high prices, dangerous facilities, and no new buildings.
In response to these issues many have seen from the shortage of blue collared workers ,many companies have attempted quick fast solutions to these issues. While these solutions may be helpful short-term they may not solve the issue in the long run. Many short-term solutions include things like; expanding high school trade courses, public awareness campaigns, and short training scholarships. These solutions are relatively easy to implement and can help get young people involved in trades that are heading into the work force. SMACNA not only is a company that has a campaign for trades but according to them they are attempting, "To raise awareness for the abundance and evolution of trade careers, skilled trade associations, and building trade unions, including the SMACNA, SMART, and ITI have come together to launch the first National Careers In Trades Week (April 7-11, 2025)." (SMACNA 4) SMACNA is an organization dedicated to improving awareness of trades and offering small insight at their campaigns into certain trade jobs to gain interested individuals. Awareness is important for solving this shortage of workers, simply because if more people knew about the job opportunities available most would be interested in pursuing a career in the blue collar industry. There are certain companies' scholarships and apprenticeship programs. Companies like Honeywell do occasionally offer internships, here in Arizona, it hasn't solved the shortage issue. If big trade companies could pick a small set of students in high school and offer an internship or scholarship to a vocational school, then they could have the possibility to have more skilled trade workers. If companies went about making skilled tradesmen instead of finding them, the shortage would definitely be less of a problem. Randstad reported there being, "Many skilled trades workers are currently approaching retirement age. By 2030, US manufacturing companies will need an additional 2.1 million workers to meet demand in skilled trades." (Randstad 5) With approximately 2.1 million retirees by 2030, there could be opportunities for helping expand the high school vocational programs. Companies and schools need to continue to try and raise awareness for trades and create those skilled trade workers that are needed for our economy by offering things like high school programs, internships, and scholarships. While these solutions may not be long-term they could help curb this shortage of skilled workers we are experiencing.
As far as long-term solutions are concerned there must be more even awareness across all job careers so there are no job shortages in any industry in the upcoming years. There should be more concrete ways for students to experience the trades in highschool and after highschool. While in Arizona there are trade schools like West-Mec and Universal Tech Inst. There is still a lack of awareness when it comes to the blue collar industry. It would be helpful if there were more resources and opportunities like; trade schools working with industries for apprenticeships, media campaigns to shift stigma away from trades, and possible government incentives for technical education. These resources could help open up opportunities for students to have the option to instead of feeling pressured to go to college, but to pursue some kind of career in general, white collar or blue collar. In the Deer Valley School District, they do offer West-Mec as a high school course. West-Mec is another school in another facility that teaches trades to students like; welding, machining, and aviation. However, it is not easy or convenient to pursue, it would be more conventional for the students to take the vocational courses at their home school instead of having to go to another school. A key factor for equal awareness between the two industries is giving many easy options to follow both career pathways. Media campaigns could include companies like Honeywell or big trade companies taking videos of their facilities or more trade workers posting videos and sharing their experiences. These videos could help interest students to follow a career in the industry. Align with online and school awareness there could also be incentives given by the government. Possibly scholarships and grants could be given out by the government for vocational schools, or possible better benefits to trade workers. In fact some states do offer tax credit for those training sponsors for apprenticeships, which could not only help persuade students to follow this career path, but help push companies to offer things to students more. In the end any long-term solution to solve the trade shortage would be beneficial to all of the economy, but things like; trade schools scholarships, apprenticeships, media campaigns, and possible government incentives are what are going to balance the job market again.
In conclusion, trade jobs are not just a dirty job that some people do for a living, it is one of the cornerstones that keep society as we know it from crumbling. From building homes, and keeping the water clean trades people keep the country running. The skilled trade worker shortage has only validated their importance in society. However, this shortage offers an opportunity to balance the awareness in school and careers for students. By investing in vocational and apprenticeship opportunities companies and schools can create skilled workers instead of searching for them and being proactive about the issue at hand. Students should see bleu collar jobs and white collar jobs as equal and both needed and important to make the world go around. If we can shift this cultural mindset and get rid of the stigma around trades we can create a better job market and a better society and we can ensure the balance is restored to our economy.
Patten Bryce
Mrs. Snyder
Eng 102
The Value of Trade Jobs
Imagine a world where everyone is persuaded to go to college and trades are ignored. There would be no one to; create electrical lines, set plumbing, or build houses. Trade occupations are jobs that require hands-on training or apprenticeships rather than needing a 4 year degree. In recent years more students have been persuaded to follow careers through college. This trend in college has led to a decline in blue-collar workers and a surplus of trade jobs. According to The Daily Reporter, "The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in the construction sector will grow nearly 40% faster than the average for all jobs over the next decade." (McNutt 3) Finding trade workers isn't the issue, it's finding those who are educated and skilled that's the real struggle. Training workers in the blue-collar industry takes resources most companies aren't willing to give easily, especially already being so low on employees. Society will not be able to function without trade workers manufacturing; car parts, airplanes, and electronics or building houses, producing clean water, and AC. Trade workers are the backbone to the world as we know it. Trade jobs have become more valuable in recent years than ever due to, a trend in college, high demand for skilled trade workers, and the important role blue collar workers have in keeping up with infrastructure.
Where did this spike in college attendance and decline in trade workers come from? The decline started in 2010 as college started becoming the typical path after high school. The number of skilled trade workers dove off in 2020 during COVID, along with most other jobs. Covid was a hard time for the job market due to the government lock downs and quarantines which caused a lot of businesses to close and most consumers to stay home. McKinsey & Company claimed, "Increasing labor scarcity, amplified by the COVID-19 disruptions, has intensified competition for talent, raising the sectors' average wages by more than 20 percent since the first quarter of 2020" (Greenberg, Schaefer, Weddle 1) However, after COVID new businesses opened and most industries went back to normal. Unfortunately for the blue collar industry, instead of bouncing back, they continued to have a lack of workers. Inc. even says, "The BLS data say that employment for those skilled tradespeople is predicted to grow 9 percent from 2024's employment figures until 2034" (Eaton 2) After COVID, the skilled blue collar worker shortage isn't supposed to end until the 2030's spanning a whole 20 years of trade worker shortages. Unlike blue collar work, white collar workers have been able to adapt to the change brought about from COVID like; remote working and digital tools to keep employment from dropping to low. Innovation and modern solutions might be what the trade industry needs to be able to bounce back in employment. Unlike office jobs, blue collar workers need; in person, hands-on skills to do their job. Additionally, it did not help that during this time trade jobs seemed to be culturally looked down upon and less than. According to Forbes there is , "a cultural bias toward college degrees over vocational training [that] has created a persistent skills gap." (Kelly 3) Since trade workers had no work around with the internet during COVID and a cultural stigma around trades at the time led to a shortage of skilled trade workers leading to many issues.
Society needs its organization and functionality to run, white collar jobs often provide structure, trade jobs supply the physical labor needed to get things done. Without either, society will struggle to keep up with its needs and cease to run. After the shortage of workers, there have been several problems to arise like; slower infrastructure growth and vacant job positions. Trade Management recorded a, "demand for skilled laborers is expected to remain strong in the coming year, with an estimated need for half a million new workers." (Marketing 1) Vacant jobs are a huge problem to currently working employees of the trade, because they must pick up the slack of the half million employees. This puts a strain on the workers and the industry, leading to a poor work environment and quality of work. Not only is quality an issue but deadlines will be missed if there's not enough workers to complete it. Randstad says, work shortages cause , "a cascading effect throughout the supply chain that demands urgent attention. For example, a lack of skilled welders might mean fewer specialized parts can be produced" (Randstad 8) If there are less workers and more time needed and resources, there will be a rise in cost as well as the product or service will likely go down in quality. As Randstad said there will be an issue with the supply chain with this low amount of workers. Without as many workers as needed, nothing will get done on time and the cost will be unnecessarily high, therefore boosting not only the value but the need for blue collar jobs.
Three main things are what raise or lower the value of a job; high demand and low supply, necessity, and skill requirements. When there is a big need for skilled workers, companies are willing to give benefits and better pay, even more so when there is also a low supply of skilled workers, altogether boosting the value. According to SMACNA, in the sheet metal industry there are opportunities for, "apprentices earning up to $87,500 in their first year and as much as $120,000 to $200,000 in wages and benefits within four to five years of completing an apprenticeship program." (SMACNA 5) Also, unlike many office jobs that require schooling and student loan debt, you can enter a trade or apprenticeship for free, which gives young workers financial strength early on. In the year 2023 the medium pay for a household was on average $80,000, which puts this trade at double the average annual income. At a time of needing skilled workers who are good at their job companies are willing to compensate for the lack of workers. Not only are companies of employees willing to pay more for the skilled workman, but the value of trades has increased for more than money's sake. As previously established, at its core, society is run on a few core industries with one of them being the trade industry. Without skilled blue collar workers there would be no; electricity, houses built, or transportation. Contractor even said there has, "been a boom in infrastructure. Thus, there is a need for more workers to accommodate this increased demand as organizations and the government invest heavily in new projects" (Bowman 3) Not only is there a basic need for trades but in recent years there has been a spike in infrastructure growth,which is a problem for the trade industry being underemployed. Basic employees are not the only need, knowledge about the trade and skill are key to an efficient and productive tradesman. In an industry already down people and needing to be mainly taught hands on, this makes it difficult for companies to gain eligible employees. If there are no able and skilled workers to enter into the blue collar industry nothing will get done. When you take into account the; high demand and low supply, necessity, and skill requirements that the trade industry jobs all have you can see the true value in a skilled trade worker employee.
While the value of these trade careers has boomed, it can still be difficult to fix this shortage of workers and imbalance in the job market. If a solution is not found there will be social and economic repercussions that affect not just companies but the whole economy, that most are unaware of. Three main issues that will stem from this low supply of workers if not attended to include; infrastructure delays, price inflation, and unqualified workers. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary infrastructure is, "the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities" (Merriam-Webster) When there are infrastructure delays that means houses won't be built in time for new families, new roads for new cities, or plumbing for clean water. McKinsey & Company reported that even though the number have been low for skilled laborers that there is still a, "demand in US industry is projected to remain high due to infrastructure needs, a surge in real estate redevelopment, and the energy transition. (Greenberg, Schaefer, Weddle 7) With this boom in real estate and a need for tradesmen to build these houses the price of the houses and services will go up. When the houses become affordable no one will be able to own or even buy a house if things get out of hand enough. Not only is it an issue to have few trade workers but there will be an issue if there aren't any skilled professionals to build the houses. If trade industries start hiring unqualified workers out of desperation. Errors in work in infrastructure with the trade industry can lead to accidents, injuries, or even death. This shortage in skilled trade workers can lead to an economy with; high prices, dangerous facilities, and no new buildings.
In response to these issues many have seen from the shortage of blue collared workers ,many companies have attempted quick fast solutions to these issues. While these solutions may be helpful short-term they may not solve the issue in the long run. Many short-term solutions include things like; expanding high school trade courses, public awareness campaigns, and short training scholarships. These solutions are relatively easy to implement and can help get young people involved in trades that are heading into the work force. SMACNA not only is a company that has a campaign for trades but according to them they are attempting, "To raise awareness for the abundance and evolution of trade careers, skilled trade associations, and building trade unions, including the SMACNA, SMART, and ITI have come together to launch the first National Careers In Trades Week (April 7-11, 2025)." (SMACNA 4) SMACNA is an organization dedicated to improving awareness of trades and offering small insight at their campaigns into certain trade jobs to gain interested individuals. Awareness is important for solving this shortage of workers, simply because if more people knew about the job opportunities available most would be interested in pursuing a career in the blue collar industry. There are certain companies' scholarships and apprenticeship programs. Companies like Honeywell do occasionally offer internships, here in Arizona, it hasn't solved the shortage issue. If big trade companies could pick a small set of students in high school and offer an internship or scholarship to a vocational school, then they could have the possibility to have more skilled trade workers. If companies went about making skilled tradesmen instead of finding them, the shortage would definitely be less of a problem. Randstad reported there being, "Many skilled trades workers are currently approaching retirement age. By 2030, US manufacturing companies will need an additional 2.1 million workers to meet demand in skilled trades." (Randstad 5) With approximately 2.1 million retirees by 2030, there could be opportunities for helping expand the high school vocational programs. Companies and schools need to continue to try and raise awareness for trades and create those skilled trade workers that are needed for our economy by offering things like high school programs, internships, and scholarships. While these solutions may not be long-term they could help curb this shortage of skilled workers we are experiencing.
As far as long-term solutions are concerned there must be more even awareness across all job careers so there are no job shortages in any industry in the upcoming years. There should be more concrete ways for students to experience the trades in highschool and after highschool. While in Arizona there are trade schools like West-Mec and Universal Tech Inst. There is still a lack of awareness when it comes to the blue collar industry. It would be helpful if there were more resources and opportunities like; trade schools working with industries for apprenticeships, media campaigns to shift stigma away from trades, and possible government incentives for technical education. These resources could help open up opportunities for students to have the option to instead of feeling pressured to go to college, but to pursue some kind of career in general, white collar or blue collar. In the Deer Valley School District, they do offer West-Mec as a high school course. West-Mec is another school in another facility that teaches trades to students like; welding, machining, and aviation. However, it is not easy or convenient to pursue, it would be more conventional for the students to take the vocational courses at their home school instead of having to go to another school. A key factor for equal awareness between the two industries is giving many easy options to follow both career pathways. Media campaigns could include companies like Honeywell or big trade companies taking videos of their facilities or more trade workers posting videos and sharing their experiences. These videos could help interest students to follow a career in the industry. Align with online and school awareness there could also be incentives given by the government. Possibly scholarships and grants could be given out by the government for vocational schools, or possible better benefits to trade workers. In fact some states do offer tax credit for those training sponsors for apprenticeships, which could not only help persuade students to follow this career path, but help push companies to offer things to students more. In the end any long-term solution to solve the trade shortage would be beneficial to all of the economy, but things like; trade schools scholarships, apprenticeships, media campaigns, and possible government incentives are what are going to balance the job market again.
In conclusion, trade jobs are not just a dirty job that some people do for a living, it is one of the cornerstones that keep society as we know it from crumbling. From building homes, and keeping the water clean trades people keep the country running. The skilled trade worker shortage has only validated their importance in society. However, this shortage offers an opportunity to balance the awareness in school and careers for students. By investing in vocational and apprenticeship opportunities companies and schools can create skilled workers instead of searching for them and being proactive about the issue at hand. Students should see bleu collar jobs and white collar jobs as equal and both needed and important to make the world go around. If we can shift this cultural mindset and get rid of the stigma around trades we can create a better job market and a better society and we can ensure the balance is restored to our economy.
