This week marks National Apprenticeship Week. Members of the skilled trades and apprenticeships fields say they are seeing a resurgence in local interest, but it pales in comparison to the level of need.
“Our need for electricians in the Buffalo area is at a great amount right now, especially experienced journeyman-level electricians," said Shawn Creighton, vice president for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 41. "We have projects that need journeyman-level electricians, you know, that are long-term, and even though a job may finish up, you'll just be transferred to another job.”
Geographic flexibility is one of the appealing factors about trades jobs, said Eric Brooks, who started training a year ago through the Center For Employment Opportunities and now works in carpentry.
“My bills get paid, my family (is) good. So, yeah, I would love to take extra jobs, you know, out of town or whatnot, just so I could be able to support my family and stuff like that," he said. "I mean, it's good here in Buffalo, but I've been here too long. Sometimes, you just want to see a different site.”
CEO works with inmates to prepare them with construction trade skills, so they’re ready to find work once they leave the correction system.
Center For Employment Opportunities Vice President of Vocational Programming Joshua Johnson sees potential for the field to grow in popularity because skills like plumbing, electrical or other trades will be difficult to replace with AI.
“They have a long lifespan, but then they also have a higher earning potential because of all the construction," he said. "Whether it's infrastructure, whether it's road construction, sewer and water, whether it's vertical construction, all these different areas of construction that are happening across our country as we continue to expand, create opportunities for apprentices.”
Many people have the talent or potential to enter the trades, but they don’t realize what’s available, Brooks said.
“It really works out for everybody that actually does have a skill that they don't even know they have," he said. "So, I believe that is a perfect program for, you know, individuals coming home from jail.”
Williamsville North High School junior Gio Calero's interest was piqued by running his own lawn-care business, and realizing his equipment would need to be repaired.
“I had to learn how to fix my own stuff, so I bought a welder and just started tooling around at the house, and then it, kind of, took off from there," he said. "You could just get an apprenticeship or go to a trade school and get experience for cheap, and then you start off making money young, and you're in front of everybody as they get out of college.”
One of the key assets Johnson sees for trades workers is the possibility of pre-apprenticeship training, which allows for a smoother integration process.
“As participants are receiving their technical training, they continue to work with their job coaches and job developers to mitigate those initial barriers to employment," he said. "Also, for every apprentice trade one of the occupations or trade signs on, they don't just get a person, they actually get the entire agency of CEO that supports them in their first year.”
That process looks different for students taking an interest in trades, Creighton said. But starting through BOCES or as a helper through the union still carries the asset of an education hyper-focused on their desired industry.
“You're a member of the Union, you're working for one of our contractors, and you're with a journey person on a job, learning from them," he said. "But you do need some hands-on experience to qualify for the apprenticeship, along with some kind of schooling or training that's electrical related.”
Williamsville North College and Career Center Coordinator Michelle McKinstry organizes a skilled trades job fair at the high school. Many students understand the rising costs of attending university, and she’s seeing interest in pursuing alternatives even from students who are still underclassmen, she said.
“These students now are expanding their thought process. It's not college or bust. They're now thinking about a lot of other options, because there are so many options available to them," McKinstry said. "And they're thinking earlier and earlier. I have ninth graders who have asked to come today because they want to start thinking about it.”
