Skilled Nation

Can an apprenticeship change your life? Mike Greenawalt says yes, because it changed his.

Before becoming CEO of one of the nation's largest electrical contractors, Mike was a self described C student who struggled in a traditional classroom but thrived with his hands. One mentor, one opportunity, and one electrical apprenticeship completely changed his future. Today, through the Greenawalt Foundation, he's helping the next generation discover the same path.

In this episode of Skilled Nation, we explore why registered apprenticeships are becoming one of the most valuable career pathways in America, what the new Workforce Pell Grant means for students pursuing skilled trades, why employers desperately need more apprentices, and how mentorship can transform lives. Mike also shares practical advice for parents, guidance counselors, employers, and anyone considering a career in construction, electrical work, welding, HVAC, manufacturing, or other skilled trades.

If you've ever wondered whether college is the only path to success, this conversation may change your perspective.

• How an electrical apprenticeship led from apprentice to CEO
• The biggest myths about careers in the skilled trades
• What the new Workforce Pell Grant means for career training
• Why America needs more apprentices than ever
• The role mentors play in building successful careers
• How the Greenawalt Foundation is helping future trades professionals
• Why parents should rethink the "college only" mindset
• How to find registered apprenticeship programs near you

Whether you're a student, parent, educator, employer, or career changer, this episode offers real insight into one of the fastest growing career opportunities in America.

Subscribe to Skilled Nation for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of skilled trades, apprenticeships, workforce development, and career education.

For more information on the Greenawalt Foundation head to https://greenawaltfoundation.org/

#SkilledTrades #Apprenticeship #Electrician #TradeSchool #WorkforceDevelopment #CareerSuccess #BlueCollar #ConstructionCareers #WorkforcePellGrant #CareerAdvice #SkilledNation #TradesJobs #Mentorship #FutureOfWork #ElectricalApprenticeship

What if one high school welding class could change the course of your life?

In this episode of Skilled Nation, Jimmy Rhoades sits down with Stephanie Hoffman, Director of Industry Development & Engagement at Miller Electric, to explore how a single opportunity turned into a career spanning welding, military service, education, entrepreneurship, and national workforce leadership.

Stephanie shares her journey from a self-described "lost punk rock kid" to one of the industry's most influential advocates. Along the way, they discuss why welding is no longer a single career path, how AI and automation are transforming skilled trades instead of replacing them, why America's manufacturing resurgence depends on the next generation of skilled workers, and what students, parents, educators, and employers need to understand about today's opportunities.

Whether you're considering welding, exploring skilled trades, or wondering where manufacturing is headed, this conversation offers practical insight and an inspiring reminder that the best careers are often discovered, not planned.

Topics Covered:

• Welding careers and apprenticeships
• Skilled trades career pathways
• Women in welding
• Workforce shortages and manufacturing
• AI, automation, and robotics in welding
• Career and technical education (CTE)
• Skilled trades education
• Miller Electric workforce development
• Infrastructure and data center jobs
• Why skilled trades are shaping America's future

#SkilledTrades #Welding #Manufacturing #Careers #Apprenticeship #SkilledNation #MillerElectric #WorkforceDevelopment #CTE #Trades

Every summer, millions of skilled trades professionals work in dangerous heat across Arizona, Texas, Florida, and the southern United States.

But what keeps construction workers, welders, electricians, HVAC technicians, and laborers safe when temperatures climb above 110°F?

In this episode of Skilled Nation, Jimmy Rhoades sits down with Mike Marden, owner of WDS Integrated Design Build, to discuss the realities of working in extreme heat after more than three decades in the construction industry.

They explore:

• How extreme heat impacts construction workers and job sites

• Heat exhaustion, hydration, and recognizing warning signs

• Why safety culture in the trades has changed

• The role of PPE, cooling apparel, and modern heat protection

• How leadership creates safer job sites

• Why prefabrication and new technology are reducing heat exposure

• What every new tradesperson should know before working outdoors

Whether you're considering a career in construction, welding, electrical, HVAC, or another skilled trade, this episode offers practical advice that could help you stay safe and build a long, successful career.

Skilled Nation is sponsored by Tulsa Welding School and celebrates the people, careers, and opportunities shaping America's skilled workforce.

Subscribe for more conversations with industry leaders, skilled trades professionals, and workforce experts.

To learn more about WDS Integrated Design Build head to https://wds.build/architect-contractor or @wdsdesignbuild

#ConstructionSafety #SkilledTrades #HeatSafety #ConstructionWorkers #Welding #HVAC #Electrician #JobsiteSafety #BlueCollar #ConstructionLife #WorkforceDevelopment #TradesCareers #SummerSafety #HeatExhaustion #SkilledNation #Tulsaweldingschool

What do a hotel clerk who fixed an ice machine on a whim, a man who walked out of prison and into a trade school, and a Marine who built a $100M HVAC company all have in common?

They found their way into one of the most in-demand, overlooked, and flat-out lucrative careers in America.

In this special episode of Skilled Nation, we're bringing together the expertise of three HVAC professionals who've lived every side of the industry — the grind, the growth, and the life-changing money.

Chris Watt — Senior HVAC Instructor at RSI — breaks down why this career is AI-proof, recession-proof, and more financially rewarding than most four-year degrees.

Michael Gabhart — co-founder of Blue Line HVAC — shares the brutal schedule, the $9,500 trade school debt, and the moment a rooftop paycheck notification made him grab his chest.

Jesse Keenan — founder of Semper Fi Home Services — talks culture, veterans in the trades, and why he has technicians making half a million dollars a year.

This isn't a recruitment pitch. It's the real story of what this career looks like — the good, the grind, and the ceiling that barely exists.

🎙️ Subscribe to Skilled Nation wherever you get your podcasts.

America doesn't have a shortage of skilled trades careers. It has a shortage of awareness, mentorship, and experienced workers to train the next generation.

In this episode of Skilled Nation, host Jimmy Rhoades sits down with Concetta Defa, electrician, workforce advocate, and host of Hire PowHER, to uncover the real reasons behind the skilled trades workforce shortage.

While many conversations focus on labor shortages, Concetta explains why the biggest challenge is the apprenticeship pipeline. As experienced journeyworkers retire, fewer mentors remain to train future electricians, lineworkers, heavy equipment operators, welders, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and other skilled professionals.

They also discuss:

• Why employers are ready to hire more skilled workers

• The apprenticeship bottleneck slowing workforce growth

• Why hands-on learning cannot be replaced by classrooms alone

• How Concetta became an electrician after a life-changing accident

• The role mentorship plays in building long-term careers

• Why more women are entering construction and energy careers

• Common misconceptions about skilled trades

• Why construction workers are some of the most highly skilled professionals in America

• How Hire PowHER is helping build the next generation of skilled workers

Whether you're a student, career changer, educator, employer, contractor, union member, or simply curious about the future of America's workforce, this conversation offers an inside look at the opportunities shaping the skilled trades.

Guest: Conchita Defa Electrician | Workforce Development Advocate | Host of Hire PowHER

HirePowHER.org

@HirePowHer

@GetintoEnergy

In this special episode of Skilled Nation, we're bringing together the expertise of three HVAC professionals who've lived every side of the industry — the grind, the growth, and the life-changing money.

Chris Watt — Senior HVAC Instructor at RSI — breaks down why this career is AI-proof, recession-proof, and more financially rewarding than most four-year degrees.

Michael Gabhart — founder of Blue Line HVAC — shares the brutal schedule, the $9,500 trade school debt, and the moment a rooftop paycheck notification made him grab his chest.

Jesse Keenan — founder of Semper Fi Home Services — talks culture, veterans in the trades, and why he has technicians making half a million dollars a year.

This isn't a recruitment pitch. It's the real story of what this career looks like — the good, the grind, and the ceiling that barely exists.

🎙️ Subscribe to Skilled Nation wherever you get your podcasts.

#PrattPodcasting

Everyone talks about the skilled trades shortage, but are the jobs really worth it?

In this episode of Skilled Nation, host Jimmy Rhoades sits down with Jacob Evanson, Business Manager of Boilermakers Local 627, for an honest conversation about the realities of working in the trades. They tackle the questions people are asking online:

• Do skilled trades actually pay enough?

• Is the work too hard on your body?

• How important are unions in today's workforce?

• What happens when projects end?

• Are apprenticeships better than college?

• Will AI replace skilled trade careers?

• How are data centers, semiconductor plants, mining, nuclear energy, and America's manufacturing revival creating new opportunities?

Jacob shares his own journey as a third-generation boilermaker and explains how apprenticeship programs, mentorship, healthcare benefits, pensions, continuing education, and union support systems help workers build long-term careers instead of simply finding jobs.

The conversation also explores mental health in construction, workforce shortages, career advancement into project management and welding inspection, and why skilled workers remain essential to America's future.

Whether you're a student, parent, career changer, veteran, or someone wondering if the trades are still a smart career path, this episode offers a candid look at what life in the skilled trades really looks like.

In this episode:

✔ Boilermaker careers explained

✔ Union vs non-union jobs

✔ Apprenticeship opportunities

✔ Skilled trades pay and benefits

✔ Mental health in construction

✔ Career growth beyond the tools

✔ Data centers and AI-driven infrastructure

✔ Energy, mining, and manufacturing jobs

✔ Workforce development in America

✔ The future of skilled trades

Learn more about Boilermakers Local 627: https://www.627.org

#SkilledNation #Boilermakers #SkilledTrades #UnionJobs #Apprenticeship #ConstructionCareers #Welding #Manufacturing #WorkforceDevelopment #DataCenters #NuclearEnergy #BlueCollar #TradeSchool #CareerChange #Infrastructure #PrattPodcasting

What happens when a second-generation welder combines decades of hands-on experience with the power of social media?

In this episode of Skilled Nation, host Jimmy Rhoades sits down with Stan Sherwin of SS Custom Welding, a custom fabricator, welding educator, and online creator who has built a loyal audience of more than 150,000 followers by sharing his craft, mentoring the next generation, and proving there's more than one way to master a trade.

Stan shares how growing up around his father's boilermaker career shaped his work ethic, why he chose the skilled trades over college, and how years of practicing after work helped him become one of the top welders in his field. He also reveals how posting welding videos online transformed his career, connected him with aspiring welders around the world, and gave him a new purpose: helping others succeed.

Whether you're considering welding school, already working in the trades, or interested in building a personal brand around your skills, this episode offers practical advice on craftsmanship, consistency, confidence, social media, mentorship, and career growth.

In this episode:

How Stan learned welding from his father and on the job

The realities of becoming a professional pipe welder

Why welding is both a trade and an art form

Building a welding brand on Instagram

Handling criticism and trolls online

How social media can create opportunities in the skilled trades

Advice for young welders and future tradespeople

The philosophy behind "Learn It. Earn It. Return It."

Skilled Nation celebrates the people, careers, and stories that keep America running. Because being a tradesperson isn't just a job. It's a way of life. It's a badge of honor. Subscribe today!

#PrattPodcasting #StarWorldwideNetworks

Jennifer Robles was exhausted, overwhelmed, and stuck in survival mode balancing two jobs, raising three boys, and trying to hold her family together. But instead of settling, she made a life changing decision that would completely transform her future.

In this emotional and deeply honest episode of Skilled Nation, Jennifer shares how she went from working as a medical assistant and fast-food supervisor to graduating from the electrical program at Tulsa Welding School with highest honors.

She opens up about motherhood, sacrifice, heartbreak, self-doubt, being the only woman in her electrical class, and the moment she realized she was capable of more. This is a raw, inspiring story about resilience, career change, women in the skilled trades, and building a better future through electrical training and hands on education. If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or afraid to start over, Jennifer’s story will hit home.

#SkilledTrades #Electrician #WomenInTrades #TulsaWeldingSchool #CareerChange #BlueCollar #Tradeswomen #ElectricalWork #SkilledNation #Motivation #StarWorldwideNetworks #PrattMarketingAgency #PrattPodcasting

What started as two brothers decorating their family home turned into one of Arizona’s most recognized holiday attractions.

In this episode of Skilled Nation, Sammy and Kyle Pratt, better known as the Pratt Brothers, share how they built a nationally recognized Christmas spectacular using welding, electrical work, fabrication, programming, plumbing, pyrotechnics, and pure creativity.

From dumpster diving for materials and teaching themselves trades on YouTube to managing massive live events seen by thousands, this conversation explores the real intersection of skilled trades, entrepreneurship, entertainment, and innovation.

If you’ve ever wondered how hands on skills can evolve into a creative business, this episode is proof that the trades can build far more than buildings. They can build experiences, brands, and entire worlds.

Subscribe today for more insight into what careers skills in the trades can lead to.

#StarWorldwideNetworks #PrattMarketingAgency #PrattBrothersChristmas #PrattBrothers