Who Will Foster the Next Generation of Skilled Tradespeople?

While most 9-5 workers chill and relax at the end of the day, Steve Turner, owner of Turner’s Upholstery in Rye, N.H., begins to really rev up his engine. For the past six years he has been running ultramarathons. Steve recently completed a 24-hour, 100-mile race in Vermont and a week-long, 250-mile “jog” in the Cocodona 250 endurance race through the Arizona desert. 

And, since owning a business and intense cardio training aren’t enough, Steve is also founder of Bring Back the Trades (BBTT).

This fully registered non-profit is dedicated to being a thorough resource for parents and high school students looking for alternative paths to the traditional four-year university program. Steve awards monthly $1,000 scholarships to select students registered to attend a trade school anywhere in the U.S. He has awarded scholarships to students in occupations as diverse as under-water welding, automotive engineering, aeronautics, construction management and commercial diving.

One of Steve’s scholarship winners is now 22 and in the field as an electrician. He just bought his own house with a large down payment. He has no college debt and, you know what? He’s happy. But nonetheless, it’s very hard to change the average parent’s mind that a four-year degree program is a more worthy career path. 

Watch Abigail Trainor’s Bring Back the Trades story here: https://bringbackthetrades.org/index

As Steve often declares during BBTT’s monthly livestreams, “I’m not against traditional college. My son went into sales and marketing and graduated with his MBA. Parents seem to confuse comfort with value. That working with your hands is somehow not as valuable as a desk job. I’m a prime example of the fact that both sides of the occupation coin can and should co-exist. They need each other.”

Young skilled tradespeople are vitally needed in the workforce if our infrastructure systems will have a chance to thrive and survive. Parents and students need to see the trades as a viable career path, and not just a fallback if for whatever reason they were unsuccessful in high school.

“We passed an infrastructure bill which will create a whole lot of jobs in the skilled labor industry. But who is going to fill them?” Steve posited. “Even with some of the technologies some forward thinking organizations are implementing, we still can’t make up the labor deficits of essential human capital.”

BBTT works diligently and holistically in their outreach with technical schools and industry nationwide. For example, Steve works closely with trades schools including the Seacoast School of Technology (SST). Located in Exeter, N.H., SST is a regional career technical vocational school serving six surrounding districts. Students receive their “traditional” classes at their home high school but travel to SST for one of 12 career tech programs. Steve attends their open houses and in turn Seacoast supports BBTT pop ups, whether they be at one of his sponsor’s venues or from the back of his 18-ft. trailer he’s recently invested in to take his mission on the road.

Steve’s latest hurdle has been getting larger businesses to help him take up this mantle. Up to now, BBTT has been gratefully and generously supported by small businesses. As BBTT ramps up its scholarship awards, Steve and his team are miffed at the apathy of many large enterprises.

“I’m always good for a like on a social post, but where is the deeper support and commitment to the cause? We need all hands on deck to give away multiple scholarships monthly and big businesses have to do their part strategically with us,” he said. “Ironically, they’re the ones who will either fall or rise with or without the next generation of skilled trade employees. Whether we have enough carpenters, plumbers, masons, machinists, robot technicians, crane operators, linesmen etc. will be up to them. They decide their role in fostering our next generations of skilled trades women and men.”

In the meantime, Steve will do what he’s always done. Run flat out until the race is done!

One of Steve’s favorite things about BBTT is when he contacts the monthly scholarship recipient. Not only does the future tradesperson get $1,000 to pay toward their tuition, but one of BBTT’s sponsors, Timberlane Pro, outfits the recipient with clothing and boots.

This scenario replaces any medal any day, and this means the most to Steve.

 About the Author: Stephanie Brown is executive director of Bring Back the Trades and founder of Intelligent Construction Opportunities.