Explore The Trades (ETT) received a record number of applications for this year’s grants, which the organization said demonstrates an unprecedented interest in career and technical education among students, educators, and school communities across the country.
From heavy machinery to hands-on demonstrations, the community got a front-row-seat look at the careers that keep the world turning, a press release from Bring Back the Trade said.
In a recent episode of And So It Flows, Roland Ligtenberg, co-founder of Housecall Pro, joined host Kristen Bayles to discuss how AI, changing workforce priorities and evolving technology are driving renewed interest in careers across plumbing, HVAC and other home service trades.
Bringing veterans into the trades isn’t charity; it’s capacity building. They tend to stay longer, care deeply about their work, and invest locally. Every veteran hired strengthens not just a company but the community it serves.
On Mercy Ships' mission-critical floating hospitals, staying afloat is paramount. They partnered with SkillCat to train their HVAC technicians, plumbers and electricians.
October 7, 2025
This partnership ensures that the vital work that Mercy Ships is doing goes uninterrupted.
Women make up only 2-3% of the plumbing workforce and 8% of plumbing apprentices. In construction trades, they hold 3.9% of roles like plumber or pipefitter, a 32% increase since 2016, totaling over 314,000 tradeswomen, according to the Institute of Women’s Policy Research.