The AI and data center boom is creating a wave of new trade jobs for electricians, HVAC techs, and welders. Host Andrew Brown asks the real question: are we filling projects, or building tradespeople?

Every headline right now says the same thing: massive money pouring into new data centers, new energy infrastructure, new construction. That means a hiring wave for electricians, HVAC techs, pipefitters, and welders. But Andrew argues there's a difference between teaching someone the three tasks a specific project needs and actually training them in the trade, and most companies aren't paying attention to which one they're doing.

This episode connects directly to Andrew's First 90 Days framework: the reason a 22-year-old lasts 45 days on a data center job and then leaves isn't usually pay. It's that nobody owned Day 27, nobody checked in once the newness wore off, and nobody showed them where the job actually leads.

If you're hiring into this boom right now, whether you're staffing a data center project or just trying to bring new people into your trade, this episode is a direct, practical challenge: look at the last person you hired and ask what you're actually preparing them for, the project or their career.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – Intro: The AI and Data Center Boom: Why money, projects, and demand are flooding into the trades right now, and why that's genuinely good news.

(01:09) – Filling Projects vs. Building Tradespeople: The core question of the episode, are new hires becoming electricians, or becoming really good at two or three tasks one project needs.

(03:20) – Who Owns Day 27? The First 90 Days Connection: Day one is easy, HR and safety own it. Nobody owns the day the newness wears off, and that's when people actually decide to stay or leave.

(05:58) – Being Honest About Pay, Hours, and What the Work Really Looks Like: Six-figure trade jobs are real, but overselling the number without the overtime, nights, and travel behind it creates an expectations problem that turns into a retention problem.

(07:49) – Showing New Hires the Career Path, Not Just the Task: What it looks like to show someone the route from apprentice to journeyman to foreman to owning their own business, instead of just this week's assignment.

(10:16) – The Challenge to Employers: Project or Career?: A direct question for anyone hiring right now, would the person you just hired still have value if the work changed tomorrow?

Key Takeaways

Getting someone through the front door isn't the win, it's the start, the real return comes when they stay, get better, and eventually train the next person.

Nobody owns Day 27. HR and safety own Day 1, but almost no company has a clear answer for who checks in once the newness wears off.

Overselling six-figure trade pay without explaining the overtime, travel, or hours behind it creates an expectations problem that becomes a retention problem.

Training someone for a data center project isn't the same as training them for the electrical trade, one ends when the project does, the other doesn't.

About the Host

Andrew Brown is a keynote speaker, workforce strategist, and host of The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades. Before this, he spent 23 years running , a national B2B industrial tool supply company, giving him a real operator's view of the trades, not an outside consultant's.

His work centers on one idea: skilled-trades companies don't have a hiring problem, they have a First 90 Days problem. He helps organizations figure out not just how to get people into the trades, but how to keep them once they arrive and develop them into long-term skilled professionals.

Keywords

AI data centers, skilled trades careers, electrician training, HVAC technician, data center construction jobs, apprenticeship, first 90 days, day 27, workforce retention, career pathway, workforce shortage, Gen Z trades, Andrew Brown

RESOURCE LINKS

Andrew Brown, Speaking & Workforce Strategy: andrewbrownspeaker.com

The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades: andrewbrown.net

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Travis Nevins of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades explains what a glazier actually does, and why this skilled trade career is everywhere you look and almost nobody can name it.

Every skyscraper facade, every mall handrail, every office glass partition, that's glazing. Travis has spent 25 years in the trade, and he opens by pointing out something most people never notice: glazing surrounds us constantly, yet it's one of the least recognized paths into the skilled trades.

Travis Nevins is the Deputy Director of Organizing at IUPAT. He spent five years as a glazier apprentice in New York, became a journey-level glazier, taught safety and upgrading courses for years, and now works to bring more people into the trade nationally.

This episode is for anyone weighing a skilled trade career, a parent looking for real alternatives to the college-only path, or anyone curious what happens after you say yes to an apprenticeship. Travis walks through the actual apprenticeship timeline, what separates people who thrive from people who burn out, and the one trait he says matters more than technical skill.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – What Is a Glazier? The Trade Hiding in Plain Sight: Travis explains glazing, from residential windows to skyscraper curtain walls, and why so few people know the trade exists.

(05:00) – Getting In: No Experience Needed, Just the Right Attitude: You don't need to know how to read a tape measure to start an apprenticeship, Travis explains what actually matters on day one.

(10:00) – Mentorship: Why the Best Mechanic Isn't Always the Best Mentor: Travis breaks down what makes a good mentor, and it's rarely the most technically skilled person on the crew.

(13:00) – Apprentice to Journey Worker: Pay, Progression, and the 8,000-Hour Mark: A typical apprenticeship runs three to four years with steady 5% raises every six months, and Travis ties it back to the 10,000-hour rule.

(18:00) – What Makes People Stay (and What Burns Them Out): Inconsistent work and long commutes push people out, Travis explains how to set realistic expectations before someone signs up.

(25:00) – The Ladder Story, How Glazing's Changed, and How to Get Started: Travis, who's afraid of heights, shares the story of forcing himself back up a 65-foot ladder, plus how safety culture and technology have transformed the trade.

Key Takeaways

Glazing is one of the most visible trades in the world and one of the least understood, most people who work with glass, aluminum, and facade systems never set out to become a glazier, they simply never heard of it as an option.

Attitude predicts success in a glazing apprenticeship more reliably than prior experience or technical aptitude, employers and mentors consistently choose a positive, coachable person over a more skilled but difficult one.

A typical IUPAT glazing apprenticeship runs three to four years and roughly 8,000 hours, with earn-while-you-learn pay that increases on a steady, predictable schedule.

The biggest reasons apprentices leave the trade are inconsistent work and the reality of travel, not the physical demands of the job itself, setting honest expectations up front matters more than recruiting harder.

About the Guest

Travis Nevins is the Deputy Director of Organizing at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). He spent five years as a New York State registered glazier apprentice before becoming a journey-level glazier at IUPAT District Council 4, Local 677, where he later taught health, safety, and journey-person upgrading courses. He spent seven years on staff at District Council 4 before moving to IUPAT's International Union in 2021.

Travis now works to bring more people into the glazing trade and IUPAT's other core trades, including commercial and industrial painting, drywall finishing, and floor covering, across a network of 105 training centers in the US and Canada.

Keywords

glazier, glazing trade, skilled trades career, glazier apprenticeship, apprenticeship program, journey worker, IUPAT apprenticeship, construction trades career, blue collar career, commercial glazing, curtain wall, facade installation, construction safety, trade school alternative, Travis Nevins, IUPAT, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

RESOURCE LINKS

Travis Nevins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-nevins-43107b202/

IUPAT Website: https://www.iupat.org

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Andreas Brockmann of United Grinding built an apprenticeship program that now gets 400 applicants for 5 spots — and it starts apprentices with hand tools, not machines.

Three years ago, United Grinding had 15 candidates for 4 apprenticeship positions. This year, they had over 400 applicants for 5 spots. Andreas Brockmann, the Apprenticeship Coordinator who built the program from scratch, says the shift didn't come from a hiring gimmick — it came from treating apprentices like real employees from day one: full benefits, a $19.50 starting wage, 15 days of vacation, and a four-year path to becoming a mechatronic technician.

Andreas reached out to Andrew after disagreeing with a LinkedIn post, making a simple but pointed argument: an 18-year-old can't walk into industry already knowing how to be a professional — companies have a responsibility to develop them. That conversation became this episode. Andreas unpacks exactly how United Grinding recruits, trains, and mentors apprentices in Miamisburg, Ohio — from six months on hand tools before anyone touches a machine, to bringing parents into the very first interview, to why CEO buy-in makes or breaks the whole thing.

This episode is for manufacturing leaders, HR and workforce development professionals, and trades employers who keep saying "young people don't want to work" — and are ready to hear a different explanation, and a real blueprint for fixing it.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – Meet Andreas Brockmann: Why a LinkedIn disagreement turned into this conversation about who's really responsible for developing young talent.

(02:00) – The 10% rule: Why United Grinding dedicates roughly 10% of its workforce to apprentices, and what that investment actually returns.

(09:00) – From 15 candidates to 400: How the program grew every year since it launched three years ago.

(10:00) – Hand tools before machines: Why apprentices spend six months on a workbench with files and chisels before they ever touch a drill press or CNC machine.

(15:00) – Getting the whole company bought in: Why apprenticeship programs die without the CEO "200% behind it," and how United Grinding builds and vets mentors.

(29:00) – Bringing parents into the process — and why Andreas believes the skilled trades talent gap is "our fault, not theirs."

Key Takeaways

Companies, not young workers, are responsible for closing the skilled trades talent gap — and treating apprentices like full employees from day one changes who applies and who stays.

Apprenticeship programs only survive difficult years if the CEO and leadership are fully bought in from the start; programs get cut first when budgets tighten, and that's the worst time to cut them.

Starting apprentices on hand tools for six months before machines builds fundamentals, patience, and pride in the work before productivity even becomes the goal.

Bringing parents and family into the recruiting process — not just the applicant — builds the home support system that determines whether an apprentice actually finishes the program.

About the Guest

Andreas Brockmann is the Apprenticeship Coordinator at United Grinding North America in Miamisburg, Ohio, where he built the company's four-year apprenticeship program from the ground up. An engineer by training with decades of manufacturing and workforce development experience, Andreas has grown the program from 15 applicants for 4 positions to over 400 applicants for 5 spots in just three years.

He works directly with local high schools, career centers, and even middle schools to build a talent pipeline for precision manufacturing careers, and regularly collaborates with other Ohio manufacturers on workforce-sharing and apprenticeship best practices.

Keywords

apprenticeship program, skilled trades apprenticeship, manufacturing apprenticeship, mechatronics technician, CNC apprenticeship, workforce development, Gen Z in the trades, apprentice mentorship, career pathways in manufacturing, tuition reimbursement, Andreas Brockmann, United Grinding, United Grinding North America, Miamisburg Ohio, manufacturing careers, industry 4.0, workforce shortage

RESOURCE LINKS

Andreas Brockmann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasbrockmann/

United Grinding Apprenticeship Program: https://www.grinding.com/en/about-us/our-team/apprenticeship-program/

WORK WITH ANDREW

Keynotes, workshops, podcast activations, and workforce storytelling for the skilled trades.

andrewbrownspeaker.com

Aircraft mechanic Joshua Borel of Chennault Aviation breaks down why the industry faces a 700,000-person shortage over the next 15 years — and how A&P techs build six-figure careers.

Joshua Borel didn't set out to work on airplanes for a living, but as Director of Maintenance at Chennault Aviation, he's now responsible for a fleet that ranges from a 1962 Piper to customer aircraft flown by first-time solo students. His rule is simple: you can't pull over at the next cloud. Once you're airborne, there are no second chances, so the work has to be right the first time — every time.

Joshua's path started in the Air Force as a C-5 crew chief before he went through A&P school and worked his way up to leading maintenance for a flight school, a Part 135 charter operation, and a Part 147 A&P academy. Along the way, he's coached students to first-place finishes in national maintenance competitions and helped train the next generation of aircraft mechanics from the ground up.

In this episode, Joshua walks through what it actually takes to become an aircraft maintenance technician: the schooling, the FAA testing, the starting wages, and the surprising ceiling on how far the career can go. He also unpacks a shortage most people outside the industry have never heard about — and why fixing it matters for anyone who's ever stepped on a plane.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – No Second Chances: What sets an aircraft mechanic apart from a general mechanic is integrity — once a plane is in the air, there's no fixing a mistake mid-flight.

(08:00) – Breaking Into the Trade: How to shadow a shop, what an 18-month A&P program looks like, and what the FAA's oral and practical DME exam actually tests.

(13:00) – The Pay Ceiling Isn't Real: Aircraft mechanics start around $20–25 an hour, but Joshua explains how adding certifications and experience can lead to six-figure, even C-suite, aviation careers.

(15:00) – The 700,000 Mechanic Shortage: Why the U.S. government doesn't classify A&P as a skilled trade, and how that gap leaves students facing $40,000–$70,000 in school costs without the funding help other trades get.

(17:00) – Not Rocket Science: An A&P license qualifies mechanics to legally work on Falcon 9, Artemis, and Blue Origin spacecraft — no advanced degree required.

(19:00) – Mentorship That Pays It Forward: What separates a mentor worth going back to from one you avoid, and how Joshua's own mentors shaped his career.

Key Takeaways

Integrity is the defining trait of an aircraft mechanic — the job has zero tolerance for "I'll fix it later" because there's no pulling over once you're in the air.

Getting started in aircraft maintenance typically means an 18-month A&P program followed by FAA oral and practical testing, with entry-level pay around $20–25 an hour and no real ceiling on where the career can lead.

The aviation industry needs over 700,000 new mechanics in the next 15–20 years, and the shortage is made worse because A&P isn't federally recognized as a skilled trade — cutting students off from funding help for their $40,000–$70,000 schooling.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to work on a rocket — an A&P license is the same certification that qualifies mechanics to legally maintain Falcon 9, Artemis, and Blue Origin spacecraft.

About the Guest

Joshua Borel is the Director of Maintenance at Chennault Aviation in Conroe, Texas, where he oversees maintenance across a Part 61 flight school, a Part 135 charter operation, and a Part 147 A&P training academy. He got his start in the Air Force as a C-5 crew chief before earning his A&P license and working his way up through the ranks at Chennault, where he's spent the last eight years.

Joshua now coaches Chennault's aviation maintenance competition team — the same competition he competed in as a student — and is helping lead efforts to close the industry's growing workforce shortage through expanded scholarship access and new flight and maintenance school locations.

Keywords

aircraft mechanic, A&P mechanic, aircraft maintenance technician, airframe and powerplant, aviation maintenance career, A&P school, FAA certification, aircraft mechanic salary, aviation workforce shortage, skilled trades career, aviation career pathway, avionics, general aviation, Piper aircraft, aerospace careers, Joshua Borel, Chennault Aviation, Chennault Aviation Academy, 69th DRS Flying Tigers, Boeing, SpaceX

RESOURCE LINKS

Chennault Aviation Website: https://caacxo.com/

69th DRS Flying Tigers Scholarships: https://69thdrsscholarships.org/

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Employee retention doesn't start with recruiting it starts with the first 90 days. Host Andrew Brown breaks down what construction and manufacturing leaders do differently to keep new hires from quietly walking out the door.

After more than a hundred interviews for The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades, Andrew set out to learn how companies recruit better. Instead, he kept hearing the same thing from guests across every trade, every state, every generation: nobody stays because of a great application process. They stay because of a person — a foreman, a mentor, a superintendent — who noticed them in the first few weeks on the job.

This episode pulls together the pattern hiding in plain sight across dozens of conversations, including moments with welder Nate Bowman, workforce leader Glenda Rahn, Zekelman Industries CEO Barry Zekelman, and NCCER President and CEO Boyd Worsham. Each one, without knowing it, described the same three leadership behaviors that determine whether a new hire builds a career with your company or quietly starts looking elsewhere.

If you lead a crew, run a shop, or manage new hires in any skilled trade, this episode gives you three practical moves to make this week — no bigger recruiting budget or new software required.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:01) – The WTF moment: Why leaders get blindsided when a good employee quits without warning, and why the instinct to "recruit better" misses the real problem.

(02:03) – The pattern behind 100+ interviews: How Andrew kept asking about recruiting and kept hearing about mentors instead, including Nate Bowman's welding helmet story and what it reveals about belonging.

(09:32) – Pattern 1, Expectations: Glenda Rahn on why the "work ethic" problem is really a clarity problem, and what a 22-year-old project engineer told Andrew he actually wants from a leader.

(14:35) – Pattern 2, Where leadership disappears: Barry Zekelman on walking the floor, the difference between orientation and onboarding, and why every leader needs to answer "who owns day 27?"

(16:42) – Pattern 3, Confidence: Boyd Worsham's story about the instructor who taught him "the business of construction," not just the trade.

(23:34) – The 3-part challenge: make success visible, check in before there's a problem, and give people a chance to succeed.

Key Takeaways

New hires decide whether they belong within the first 90 days — and that decision, not the recruiting process, is what determines whether they stay long term.

Clear expectations beat motivation every time. Telling a new employee exactly what success looks like at day 7, 30, and 90 removes the uncertainty that causes early turnover.

Onboarding is a relationship, not a one-day event. Leaders who put short check-ins on the calendar at day 14, 30, and 60 catch small problems before they become resignation letters.

Confidence is built through experience, not given through speeches. Leaders who hand new employees real responsibility before they feel fully ready create the evidence that keeps people committed to a career, not just a job.

About This Episode

Andrew Brown hosts The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades, where he's interviewed hundreds of contractors, CEOs, foremen, apprentices, and workforce leaders across construction, manufacturing, and the skilled trades. This episode is a synthesis, not a single interview — it draws on recurring moments from guests including welder Nate Bowman, workforce development leader Glenda Rahn, Zekelman Industries CEO Barry Zekelman, and NCCER President and CEO Boyd Worsham.

Their stories, told independently and without ever meeting each other, kept describing the same leadership behaviors — proof that the biggest opportunity in the skilled trades isn't just recruiting more people, it's leading the people who already said yes.

Keywords

employee onboarding, first 90 days, new hire retention, construction leadership, skilled trades retention, onboarding vs orientation, employee expectations, workforce retention, apprenticeship mentorship, construction workforce development, Andrew Brown, Nate Bowman, Glenda Rahn, Barry Zekelman, Zekelman Industries, Boyd Worsham, NCCER, The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades, manufacturing leadership, Gen Z workforce, foreman mentorship, employee belonging, workplace culture

RESOURCE LINKS

Andrew Brown: www.andrewbrownspeaker.com

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Aircraft maintenance apprentice Miyah Spade of Canadian Helicopters breaks down what it really takes to keep planes and helicopters safely in the air — and why almost nobody knows this trade exists.

Miyah just walked off the floor of an international aerospace maintenance skills competition in Orlando, where her team was the only one to fully complete their event — removing and reinstalling a 150-pound aircraft slide under a strict manual, timed, and inspected to the letter. She talks about what it takes to hold that much information under pressure, and introduces the "Dirty Dozen" — the twelve human factors, like distraction, pressure, and complacency, that aviation maintenance crews are trained to watch for on every real job, not just in competition.

Miyah is an aircraft maintenance apprentice studying at Centennial College and working with Canadian Helicopters. She didn't grow up wrenching on dirt bikes or cars — she found her way in through a high school welding and auto shop class, then chose aircraft maintenance over auto body repair because, in her words, "it has a nice ring to it." Since then she's worked on everything from small Cessnas and Pipers to airliners and helicopters, including hands-on time in an overhaul shop tearing apart a helicopter's main rotor head after a real accident.

If you're weighing a trade you've never heard of, wondering how to break into aviation without a four-year degree, or trying to figure out how to stand out when resumes get lost in a pile, this conversation is for you.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – Cold Open: A "Dirty Dozen" teaser and a first look at Miyah Spade, aircraft maintenance apprentice at Canadian Helicopters.

(01:07) – Only Team to Finish: Recapping the skills competition event Miyah just completed — removing and reinstalling a 150-pound aircraft slide under strict, line-by-line inspection.

(02:57) – The Dirty Dozen: The twelve human factors — pressure, distraction, complacency — that aviation maintenance crews are trained to watch for every time they sign off on a real aircraft.

(03:48) – From Welding to Wings: How a high school auto shop and welding class led Miyah away from cars and into aircraft maintenance.

(07:09) – Choosing Helicopters: Why Miyah picked helicopters over big airliners — camping in the bush under a tarp, and landing a job with Canadian Helicopters.

(13:30) – Like a Detective: Tearing apart a helicopter's main rotor head after a real accident, and why talking to people beats sending resumes when breaking into the trade.

Key Takeaways

Aircraft maintenance is a skilled trade almost nobody knows about, even though every flight's safety depends on the mechanics working behind the scenes, not just the pilot.

Aviation safety culture is built around the "Dirty Dozen" — pressure, distraction, and complacency are treated as real, named threats, not just workplace buzzwords.

You don't need a childhood spent under the hood of a car to succeed in this trade — Miyah came from art and a single high school shop class, not a family of mechanics.

Networking beats resumes in aircraft maintenance hiring — cold applications get lost in the pile, but a phone call or a walk-in conversation with a director of maintenance can open doors a resume never will.

About the Guest

Miyah Spade is an aircraft maintenance apprentice studying at Centennial College and working with Canadian Helicopters. Across her apprenticeship she's worked on small training aircraft, airliners, and helicopters, and spent a summer in Canadian Helicopters' overhaul shop and technical records department getting exposure to nearly every side of the operation.

She competed at an international aerospace maintenance skills competition, was part of the only team to fully complete her event, and now advocates for getting more trade exposure in front of students who don't know aircraft maintenance is even an option.

Keywords

aircraft maintenance technician, aircraft maintenance engineer, helicopter mechanic, aviation maintenance apprentice, AME apprenticeship, aviation maintenance career, skilled trades in aviation, aircraft mechanic training, Centennial College aviation program, Miyah Spade, Canadian Helicopters, Aerospace Maintenance Competition, women in skilled trades, Sikorsky helicopters

RESOURCE LINKS

Miyah Spade on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/miyahspade

Canadian Helicopters Website: https://www.canadianhelicopters.com/

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Jason Altmire and Riley Burr, co-authors of Trade Up, break down why the skilled trades pipeline is broken — and the fix isn't just more people, it's better retention.

The math doesn't work: the number of Americans over 65 grows 3% every year while the under-18 population shrinks 0.2% annually, and there are already 15% fewer kids in kindergarten than there are high school seniors. That gap keeps widening until at least 2041. At the exact same time, record numbers of college graduates can't find jobs while record numbers of employers can't fill open trades roles — a paradox Jason and Riley unpack in detail, alongside a catch-22 most people never talk about: trade school graduates being locked out of entry-level jobs because employers demand three to five years of experience they have no way to get.

Jason Altmire is President and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), the national trade association for private postsecondary career schools, and a former three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Riley Burr is Executive Director of the CECU Research Foundation and VP of Policy and Research at CECU, with a background authoring federal workforce and education reports. Together they wrote Trade Up: Why the Future Belongs to Skilled Trades and How Career Education is Transforming the Workforce — a data-driven look at the "Toolbelt Generation" and the systems failing to connect willing workers to open jobs.

This episode is for parents trying to guide a kid toward a real career path, Gen Z workers weighing trade school against a four-year degree, employers struggling with 90-day attrition, and anyone who wants the actual data behind the skilled trades shortage instead of the headlines.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – The impossible math: Jason and Riley explain why an aging population and a shrinking youth pipeline make the skilled trades shortage a demographic problem, not just a recruiting problem.

(08:00) – The zero-experience catch-22: why trade school graduates with the right soft skills keep getting rejected for lacking three to five years of experience, and what "qualified applicant" actually means to employers.

(16:00) – Broken pipelines: guidance counselors who only know how to advise for college, a state charter trade school with a random lottery, and why parents don't know how to steer kids toward the trades even when they want to.

(26:00) – Women in welding and the power of visibility: why only 5% of the skilled trades workforce is women, but 32 of the top 50 welding accounts on Instagram are run by women — and what that means for recruitment.

(36:00) – Data centers, AI, and job security: why Microsoft's research shows blue-collar trades have the lowest task-replacement risk from AI, and why data center construction is reshaping pay and poaching in the trades.

(46:00) – Mentorship builds the tradesperson: why most attrition happens in the first 90 days, and why "apprenticeship teaches the trade, mentorship builds the tradesperson."

Key Takeaways

The skilled trades shortage is a demographic math problem first: the population over 65 grows 3% a year, the population under 18 shrinks 0.2% a year, and that gap keeps widening until at least 2041.

Many employers create their own shortage by demanding three to five years of experience from trade school graduates, locking out qualified candidates in a catch-22 they can't work their way out of.

Retention lives or dies in the first 90 days on the job, and mentorship — not just apprenticeship — is the single biggest factor tradespeople point to when asked what changed their career trajectory.

AI poses far less risk to skilled trades work than to white-collar jobs — Microsoft's task-replacement research shows blue-collar roles have the lowest automation exposure of any job category tracked.

About the Guest

Dr. Jason Altmire is President and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), the national trade association representing private postsecondary career schools. He previously served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (2007–2013) and has led senior roles in the hospital and health insurance industries. Since joining CECU in 2020, he has grown the association's membership, revenue, and media reach, including launching CECU's research foundation.

Riley Burr is Executive Director of the CECU Research Foundation and Vice President of Policy and Research at CECU. She previously served as lead author and contributor on federal workforce reports for the National Center for Education Statistics, with research focused on bridging the skills gap and expanding the role of trade schools. Jason and Riley co-authored Trade Up, drawing on that research to map out how career education is transforming the American workforce.

Keywords

skilled trades workforce shortage, trades pipeline crisis, skilled trades career pathways, trade school vs college, registered apprenticeships, career and technical education, HVAC career, electrician apprenticeship, welding career, plumbing trade, aviation maintenance technician, women in the trades, Gen Z workforce, Toolbelt Generation, mentorship in the trades, workforce retention, AI and blue collar jobs, data center construction jobs, Jason Altmire, Riley Burr, Trade Up book, Career Education Colleges and Universities, CECU Research Foundation, Andrew Brown, The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades

RESOURCE LINKS

Jason Altmire on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaltmire/

Riley Burr on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileyburr/

Trade Up (book): https://tradeupbook.com/

Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU): https://career.org

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Aviation maintenance technician Brianna De Armond breaks down what it really takes to become an aircraft mechanic — and why one signature on the paperwork can define an entire career.

Brianna is a student in the Aviation Maintenance Technician program at San Bernardino Valley College and a competitor at the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC). In this episode, she shares the moment she realized aircraft maintenance is as much about reading manuals and ATA codes as it is about turning wrenches — and what it feels like to sign off on a plane carrying a couple hundred people, knowing your name is the only one on that paper.

She also opens up about growing up around the trades with her welding-and-HVAC dad, the classmate-turned-mentor who talked her into pursuing her pilot's license, and what it's actually like to be one of a small percentage of women in aircraft maintenance — including the harassment many women face and what real support on the shop floor looks like.

If you're considering a career in aviation maintenance, mentoring someone who is, or just want to understand what happens behind the scenes every time a plane takes off safely, this conversation will change how you think about the person under the fuselage.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – Why Mechanics Deserve More Credit: Brianna opens with the line that defines the episode — the pilots get you there, but it's the mechanic who fixes it when they break it.

(02:30) – Falling in Love with Aviation as a Kid: How childhood curiosity about airplanes led Brianna to San Bernardino Valley College's aeronautics program.

(08:00) – The Reality of Aircraft Maintenance: Reading, Writing, and Wrenches: Why the job is as much about manuals and documentation as it is hands-on repair — and the moment installing avionics made it all worth it.

(15:00) – Family, Mentorship, and Learning to Fly: Her dad's welding and HVAC background, the classmate-turned-mentor who changed her trajectory, and how she ended up pursuing her pilot's license.

(23:00) – Being a Woman in Aircraft Maintenance: The small percentage of women in the field, the harassment many face, and what real support looks like.

(32:00) – The Weight of Signing Off on a Plane: What it takes to become an Inspection Authorization (IA) mechanic, why it takes years of experience, and the pressure of putting your name on the paperwork.

Key Takeaways

Aircraft maintenance is far more reading- and documentation-heavy than most people expect — technicians live in manuals and ATA codes as much as they work with tools.

Becoming an Inspection Authorization (IA) mechanic typically takes years of experience because a single signature carries full legal and safety responsibility for the aircraft.

Only a small percentage of aircraft maintenance technicians are women, and closing that gap starts with listening to women and building real support systems on the shop floor.

A strong mentor can be the difference between quitting and thriving — Brianna credits a classmate-turned-mentor with keeping her in the trade and inspiring her to pursue a pilot's license.

About the Guest

Brianna De Armond is an aviation maintenance student at San Bernardino Valley College and a competitor at the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC), where students and professionals from across the industry test their skills head-to-head. She has hands-on experience in airframe work, avionics installation, and engine overhaul, and is currently working toward her pilot's license.

Her focus is aircraft maintenance and inspection — the unseen work that keeps commercial and general aviation flying safely. Her story speaks directly to this episode's theme: the skilled trades carry enormous responsibility, and the people doing that work deserve recognition most audiences never think to give them.

Keywords

aviation maintenance technician, aircraft mechanic, A&P mechanic career, Inspection Authorization IA mechanic, women in aviation maintenance, Aerospace Maintenance Competition, San Bernardino Valley College aeronautics, Brianna De Armond

RESOURCE LINKS

San Bernardino Valley College Aeronautics Program: https://www.linkedin.com/school/san-bernardino-valley-college/

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The electrician shortage is real: 10,000 retire each year, only 7,000 enter. Siemens Foundation CEO David Etzwiler is building a $9.25M solution.

Meanwhile, 130,000 new electrical jobs are coming online in the next decade — driven by AI, data centers, and hyperscaler buildouts. The gap between demand and supply is accelerating. Yet most people still think of the trades as a backup plan, not a first choice.

David Etzwiler is the CEO of the Siemens Foundation, the corporate philanthropic arm of Siemens USA. He leads Careers Electric, a $9.25 million workforce initiative in North Carolina that is building a multi-lane highway from middle school to employer — with real training, real wages, and real career paths in the electrical trades.

In this episode, Andrew and David dig into the data center boom, why the 30-to-90-day retention window is where most employers lose new workers, and why mentorship isn't just good practice — it's the only thing that makes apprenticeship actually work. If you're in the trades, work with tradespeople, or want to steer someone toward a high-paying career without a four-year degree, this one is for you.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – The AI and Electrician Conversation: Andrew shares why his 12-year-old's question about AI and careers led directly to this episode — and why the answer keeps pointing back to the trades.

(04:00) – The Electrician Shortage Nobody Talks About: 10,000 electricians retire every year. Only 7,000 enter. With 130,000 new electrical jobs coming in the next decade, David explains why the window to act is now.

(10:00) – Careers Electric and the Multi-Lane Highway: The $9.25M Siemens Foundation initiative in North Carolina is building pathways from middle school to community college to employer — with multiple on-ramps and off-ramps at every level.

(17:00) – Why You Lose People in the First 90 Days: Andrew and David break down the retention problem in the trades and what employers and training programs must do differently to keep Gen Z workers engaged past the first month.

(23:00) – Mentorship Is the Gold Standard: Pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship are only as good as the mentor. David explains why pairing someone with the right journeyman — not just a skilled one — is the difference between a career and a dropout.

(29:00) – Wages, Pathways, and Scaling Nationally: Median electrical wages sit at $62,300 with room to grow. David shares how the Careers Electric model will expand beyond North Carolina and how employers and individuals can get involved today.

Key Takeaways

The U.S. electrical trades are already short-staffed — 10,000 electricians retire each year while only 7,000 enter the field, and 130,000 new electrical jobs are expected in the next decade driven by AI data centers and grid buildouts.

The Siemens Foundation's Careers Electric initiative is investing $9.25 million in North Carolina to build a standardized, sector-based training pipeline from middle school through community college to employer, with a goal of 25,000 trained workers over 10 years.

Retention in the trades is most fragile in the first 30 to 90 days — employers who help new workers understand expectations before day one, pair them with patient mentors, and pay competitive wages dramatically improve long-term retention.

Apprenticeship teaches the trade, but mentorship builds the tradesperson — the most consistent factor in whether someone stays and thrives in a skilled trade is a mentor who is genuinely invested in their success, not just their productivity.

About the Guest

David Etzwiler is the CEO of the Siemens Foundation, the corporate philanthropic arm of Siemens USA. He has led the Foundation's workforce, health, and sustainability initiatives since 2013. Prior to Siemens, David served as Vice President of Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Medtronic Foundation, where he grew annual giving from $6.5 million to $31.6 million. He holds a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and a Master of Public Policy from The Claremont Graduate University.

David leads Careers Electric, a $9.25 million sector-based workforce initiative in North Carolina building a multi-lane training pathway from middle school to employer in the electrical trades — with plans to scale the model nationally, state by state.

Keywords

electrician shortage, electrical trades careers, skilled trades, workforce training, apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, data centers, AI jobs, Careers Electric, Siemens Foundation, David Etzwiler, IBEW, EVITP, community college trades, mentorship in skilled trades, Gen Z careers, trade school alternatives, North Carolina workforce

RESOURCE LINKS

David Etzwiler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-etzwiler-26916033/

Siemens Foundation Website: https://www.siemensfoundation.org

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.

Aircraft maintenance technicians keep every plane in the sky — and half are about to retire. John Goglia, former NTSB board member, on what's at stake for aviation safety.

United Airlines alone has 14,000 mechanics. Within five years, roughly half will be eligible for retirement. That's 7,000 highly skilled aircraft maintenance technicians — gone. The pipeline to replace them is dangerously thin, and the average airline mechanic today is approaching 60 years old. The workforce shortage that began after 9/11 never fully recovered — and what happens next could push maintenance work out of the country entirely.

John Goglia spent decades on the hangar floor before being appointed to the National Transportation Safety Board by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He's the founder of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) — the largest hands-on competition for aviation maintenance students in the world — and president of PAMA, the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association.

If you work with your hands, are considering aviation maintenance as a career, or lead a workforce in the trades, this conversation reveals what the most underrated skilled trade in America is facing — and why right now is the best time in decades to enter the field.

IN THIS EPISODE

(00:00) – The Workforce Time Bomb: United Airlines is set to lose 7,000 mechanics in five years — John breaks down why the shortage that started after 9/11 never fully recovered and what happens if the pipeline doesn't fill.

(00:49) – When the System Fails: From LaGuardia to Washington D.C., John explains how aviation safety culture has shifted from blaming individuals to exposing the systemic failures behind accidents.

(04:38) – 300 Souls and a 20-Minute Clock: What real pressure looks like for an aircraft maintenance technician signing off on a full plane — customer service yelling, pilots watching, and a countdown ticking.

(12:12) – Career Paths and Women in Aviation: The first 30-90 days on the shop floor, why women represent only 2.8% of aviation mechanics, and how the AMC has helped over 150 women land jobs in the field.

(19:10) – Mentors Who Cut Your Safety Wire: John's defining mentors in New York City, how that tough culture shaped him, and how he applies it to a new generation — including what kept him grounded after joining the NTSB.

(22:46) – The Challenge Coin and the Competition: The story behind the AMC challenge coin, what it means to the students who earn it, and why organic mentorship is breaking out across hangar floors without anyone being asked.

Key Takeaways

The aviation maintenance workforce crisis is more urgent than most people realize — with the average airline mechanic approaching age 60, a wave of retirements could push maintenance work overseas if the pipeline isn't rebuilt now.

Aviation safety culture has fundamentally shifted from blaming the individual to examining the system — the LaGuardia and D.C. crashes both reveal how management decisions, staffing, and institutional failures set workers up to make mistakes.

An A&P (aircraft and powerplant) certificate opens doors far beyond airlines — Burlington Northern Railroad, Disney World, Six Flags, and the drone industry all actively recruit A&P-certified mechanics because their foundational skills in hydraulics, electronics, and pneumatics are universally valuable.

Mentorship in aviation maintenance is still largely informal and peer-driven — and closing that gap is exactly what John Goglia is working on through the Aerospace Maintenance Competition, PAMA, and a new podcast built specifically for the next generation of mechanics.

About the Guest

John Goglia is a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He began his career as a line mechanic in New York City, working at Allegheny Airlines (later US Air), and spent decades on the hangar floor before rising to become one of the nation's most recognized aviation safety authorities.

John is the founder of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC), the world's largest hands-on skills competition for aviation maintenance students, drawing teams from across the country and attracting recruiters from United, American, Southwest, Alaska, and Delta. He serves as president of PAMA (Professional Aviation Maintenance Association) and hosts the Flight Safety Detectives podcast.

Keywords

aircraft maintenance technician, aviation mechanic, A&P mechanic, aviation workforce shortage, aviation safety, NTSB, aerospace maintenance, aviation career, airline mechanic, aircraft inspector, John Goglia, Aerospace Maintenance Competition, PAMA, Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, skilled trades careers, aviation training, trades workforce shortage, women in aviation, mentorship in trades, hands-on careers

RESOURCE LINKS

John Goglia on LinkedIn: [Add URL]

Aerospace Maintenance Competition: amc.aero

PAMA (Professional Aviation Maintenance Association): [Add URL]

Contact John directly: 703-597-4502

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you found value in this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us keep telling the stories of the skilled trades.