Workforce development does not need to be that difficult. There are proven and tested means to get the work done; we sometimes just need to listen to the people who have been doing it for years. There are a multitude of professionals and dedicated volunteer board members quitely doing the work to build our economy and our workforce.
Two programs in particular warrant attention; some of the best-and most traditional-programs coming out of the Masshire Metro South West workforce region. Tools for the trade, a week long paid internship exposing high school students in the region to all manner of trades, and the region’s annual “trade” show.
Tools for the trade was born out of the idea of getting young people interested in trade careers earlier and giving them the same opportunity to experience trades as students on a more academic path get to experience out of school. Many fortunate high school students get to take a life affirming trip to Europe to a country whose language they are studying, or perhaps a band trip to the state capital or (at least for those of us growing up on the East Coast) to New York City or Washington DC. But what about kids who go to a traditional high school and are interested in learning about trades? Usually, a couple of crusty brochures and a promise of meeting with someone down the road.
Not so in the metro south west region. High school students from the 43-town region spend their April vacation visiting various trade jobs, actually participating in the trades, and-get this-they get paid while they are doing it. Yes, we pay them a stipend. Many kids do not have the opportunity to travel to Europe on their school vacations, and many more have to work to have any spending money or to have a car, money for prom, etc. So, rather than have these kids lose out on the chance to earn a few bucks we pay them for the week. They are also provided with boots, safety gear, and we provide them lunches. We even provide gas cards if they have trouble getting to the site.
They cut and weld pipes. They climb scaffolding. They pour concrete. They operate cranes. All properly supervised off course, but it’s not a classroom experience, it’s a field learning experience. trades are fun, and some kids just want a chance to get their hands a little dirty and dive right into something. Masshire MSW provides that opportunity. We gear them up, pay them, and make them “work” for a full week. Every year we have more applicants than available space, and we are going to look to keep expanding the program. To our knowledge, it’s one of the first in the country to use such a direct model, aimed at high school students, that provides them with on the ground training, funding, and pays them for the week. If we want more kids to get into the trades (and we NEED more people going into the trades) we need to start in high school, and we need to start simply.
I’m proud of the work done in our workforce region. As the lead official for the region I am of course biased, but you can see the dedication in the staff and board members in every program the region puts on. And the creativity doesn’t just stop with Tools for the Trade, have you heard about our “Trade” show? We bring several dozen trade and labor jobs to a conference center and bus kids in from all over the region to spend half a day learning about various trade and labor jobs. The fact that we call it a “trade” show is also the best pun in government out there. It’s another unique program, directed at high school students, to get them interested and involved in the trades so they can make decisions right after high school. The photo in the header is of students getting to experiment with welding at the trade show. If I had the chance to actually play (ok we know they don’t play they are properly supervised) but play with a torch in high school, maybe I would have become a welder. What about you?
These programs are effective and do not cost a fortune and they can be replicated anywhere. We’re grateful for the support of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO in these programs; work with your labor unions anywhere in the country and they will be right there helping create programs like these. We need more people going into the trades, and it’s high time we stop looking at trade careers as less than college careers and put the effort into marketing and promoting them the same way we do college programs. Every year the federal government spends billions of dollars trying to make college affordable, fractions of that can make trades accessible to lower income students, without the need for debt, and with the added bonus of driving the economy. 25 kids spending a week learning about trades costs less than a year of tuition at a state school; and even if just one of them goes into the trades it’s worth its weight in gold. Kudos to the Masshire MSW region staff and board members and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO for making this program happen year after year.