HOW TO BE A TRADESPERSON
Melissa Beck, 38, welding student
The photo subjects in this story are all students at Harrisburg Area Community College’s York Campus. Founded in 1964, when the surrounding suburbs were farmland, HACC is the oldest community college in Pennsylvania in the US, and serves 19 000 credit-seeking students and 6 000 students in non-credit programmes. Aside from the building and mechanical trades, you can learn CNC machining, brewing science (since May this year), and information technology at HACC. Thanks to the students, instructors, and administrators for welcoming us on a busy school day.
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THE DEMAND FOR most trades, in most parts of the world, is strong and getting stronger. In the US, the Department of Labor forecasts healthy growth – in the neighbourhood of 8 to 9 per cent over the next decade. Jobs associated with building and rebuilding roads, bridges, water, and the power grid are expected to grow by double-digit percentages – faster than the overall economy. Jobs for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters are projected to grow 16 per cent during this same time period. And projected employment growth across all occupations is 7.4 per cent. Construction, the mechanical trades, and industrial occupations such as welding are in-demand trades that could mean either a stable career or a launching pad. You might start out swinging a hammer, but it could lead to project management, environmental analysis, sales, education, or engineering. I met a bunch of these people in the course of writing this article. And, by the way, that’s how I found my way here. This story is going to tell you how you can do it, too.
For global context, the post-war era in America was one of unparalleled white-collar growth. Thus both public and private high schools were deemed most successful if they graduated students to university. But university costs have risen sharply and continue to rise. Forbes concluded a year ago that university tuition is rising nearly eight times faster than wages. A four-year degree is still deemed valuable, but you have to be able to afford it with a minimum of debt, and it has to be the basis of a well-paying job when you exit. If not, you’re stuck.
Given a decades-old institutional bias toward university, one that is also felt in South Africa, it’s not surprising that trades teachers feel as though they’re constantly playing second fiddle.
