Welcome to Grit Nation, The Building Trades Podcast.

On today’s episode I will be talking with returning guest, Frank Manzo, from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute. 

This time around Frank and I discuss building trades apprenticeships.

We’ll start our conversation by looking into how the Illinois Economic Policy Institute gathers the data needed to create fair, unbiased, and fact-based comparisons of apprenticeship programs across the US.

Next, we’ll unpack how employer funded non-union apprenticeships stack up against member supported union programs. 

And why a graduate of a non-union apprenticeship earns on average18,000 dollars less per year than their union counterpart.

Later, we’ll discuss the numerous similarities in income earning potential, diversity and inclusion rates, as well as other socio-economic outcomes when Frank juxtaposes a building trades journey level certification earned from a union apprentice program to that of a traditional 4-year college degree.

And we’ll finish our conversation by learning why states with strong union apprentice programs, in addition to prevailed wage laws have worksites that are more productive, safer, and are better value for the taxpayer.

This episode shines a bright light on the many misconceptions surrounding careers in the blue-collar trades and redefines what it means to have a degree that can’t be easily outsourced and will provide a pathway to professional and financial success in the working middle-class of America and Canada.

The Show Notes

Illinois Economic policy Institute
https://illinoisepi.org/

Great video with Frank talking about apprenticeships
https://youtu.be/BhULgiZmG7g

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