Celebrating National Tradesmen Day Starts with Apprenticeships

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is credited with a variety of firsts. From signing the Declaration of Independence to becoming the country’s first postmaster general, Franklin was celebrated. He was one of the most influential thinkers of his day.

But did you know he also served a skilled trades apprenticeship? Franklin was able to work as a journeyman printer after his apprenticeship. He used his trade to publish “Poor Richard’s Almanack” and the Pennsylvania Gazette in Philadelphia.

On September 20, Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning will recognize National Tradesman Day. We want to honor the men and women who make their careers in the skilled trades industries.

The skilled trades apprenticeship system has a long and storied history. Beginning in the late Middle Ages, master craftsmen would hire young workers in exchange for training, food and lodging.

In an apprenticeship, a worker learns a skill in a regulated industry. In return, the employer relies on the worker to provide his skilled labor for an agreed-upon time. This on-the-job training is a win-win for both the worker and the employer.

Born in the USA

Apprenticeships have helped build this country. In addition to Franklin, other notable former apprentices include President George Washington, who trained as a surveyor, and Paul Revere, who became a silversmith.

When Europeans first settled the new land, most of the colonists became farmers. But they still needed some skilled workers to build their homes, cobble their shoes and build their tools and weapons.

Apprenticeships in the United States hit their peak from about 1911 to the 1960s. By the 1970s, more educators and parents had started steering young people toward college degrees. This has resulted in a labor shortage in skilled trades industries like plumbing and HVAC repair.

Recognizing this fact, the U.S. Department of Labor is now committed to growing and expanding apprenticeship programs throughout the country. It recently awarded $183 million as part of the Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grants to expand apprenticeships and make them more available to workers and their employers.

The Future of Work

While employers in the skilled trades have sounded the alarm for years, it hasn’t been until recently that the labor shortage has gotten more attention.

With the cost of college at an all-time high, the 2021 supply chain upheaval, and recent federal legislation focused on building more products on U.S. soil, a focus on the skilled trades returned.

Many states have begun to expand on Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) and are working with corporate sponsors to create programs to help train young workers.

It’s no secret now that we need more tradesmen in the workforce to celebrate. And one of the ways we can add more plumbers, HVAC technicians and electricians to the workforce is to promote the expansion of apprenticeship programs.

In the meantime, if you need a professional plumber or HVAC technician, feel free to give Petri a call at (718) 748-1254 or contact us online. We’ll send a skilled professional to your home in no time.