What do street drag racing, stock car racing, a senior basketball team and kite surfing have in common? They’re all hobbies of professional plumbers. Pretty cool, right? Pfister certainly thinks so, as the bath and kitchen manufacturer has launched a new docuseries featuring the lives of plumbers throughout the U.S.
The partnership promises to ease the skilled-trades labor-shortage gap by instantly providing education, coaching, documents and technical manuals directly to field service technicians through XOi’s Vision app.
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.
“American Plumber Stories” aims to promote the plumbing trade to the next generation of professionals. The show highlights the stories of plumbers around the nation, including how they got started in the plumbing trade and the passion they have for their profession.
Tools & Tiaras is an organization dedicated to advancing the interest of young girls and women who want to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated trade professions.
Bradford White announced its partnership with Plumbers Without Borders, a grassroots non-profit organization working to increase global access to safe water and sanitation.
The Home Depot and The Home Depot Foundation, alongside Klein Tools and SkillsUSA, celebrated SkillsUSA's National Signing Day with students from across the Southeast via its Path to Pro program, which provided scholarships to six students entering the skilled trades.
I am lucky enough to talk to contractors, both large and small, all across the U.S. Inevitably, when I ask them about their greatest challenge or greatest future challenge, the answer is always the same: The skilled trades labor shortage.