Careers in trade industries have long been stigmatized as society has impressed upon us that the path to success begins with a degree from a four-year traditional college.
But with the price of college soaring and the threat of crippling student loan debt making headlines nearly every day, trade industries are hoping to change public perception – and staff their next-generation workforce where the jobs are plentiful and often high-paying.
And BONUS! Training for these careers often comes with a student loan debt of $0.
The construction industry, for example, is desperate for builders, plumbers, electricians and more because the field is aging. As boomers in construction retire, their jobs aren’t being filled quickly enough to meet the demand.
According to an AGC and Autodesk survey, 80 percent of construction firms report that they are having a hard time filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.
And while careers in teaching may elicit more societal respect, it does nothing to help address the ominous headlines that address the ever-menacing shortage.
‘The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, and worse than we thought.’
And it doesn’t stop there.
‘When indicators of teacher quality (certification, relevant training, experience, etc.) are taken into account, the shortage is even more acute than currently estimated, with high-poverty schools suffering the most from the shortage of credentialed teachers.’
And that’s precisely where we come in.
Our online training serves a broad range of industries with our award-winning online education, safety, compliance, and performance-optimization solutions. Across our three business units — commercial, education and public — we offer thousands of eLearning courses and innovative SaaS applications to meet the needs of individuals as well as organizations of any size.
But if you’re still not convinced that a trade career is the way of the future, consider this: According to NCCER’s 2018 Construction Craft Salary survey, the average salaries – not including overtime, per diem or other incentives – are more than $59,600 for plumbers, $62,400 for HVAC technicians, and up to $92,500 for project managers, according to NCCER’s 2018 construction craft salary survey.
Not too shabby, huh?
And when you consider that teachers typically earn salary increases by accumulating continuing education credits and earning additional degrees and certifications – such as special education – which can add thousands of dollars to a teacher’s base salary, continued education is almost a no-brainer.
So here, we break down how each of our business units serves them all.
TargetSolutions, our public business unit, is ‘trusted to get the job done’ and serves more than 5,000 fire departments, emergency medical service organizations, law enforcement entities, and other public sector agencies across the U.S. and Canada.
Why? Because a well-trained first responder is a safer, more prepared first responder. That’s why we offer innovative training and performance optimization applications. In addition, we offer cutting-edge records and workforce management technology and world-class customer service, helping clients cost-effectively manage risk, maintain compliance, improve communications, and streamline operations.
Our commercial business unit is led by our RedVector, Convergence Training, and IndustrySafe brands, the leading providers of online continuing education, training, workplace safety, and performance management solutions for professionals and organizations in multiple industries.
The standards in these industries never stop evolving, and neither should their workforce. So each day, we help organizations in the commercial sector ensure their employees have the tools they need to hone their skills, develop their careers, meet continuing education requirements, and stay safe.
The brands that comprise Vector Solutions Education – TeachPoint, Exceptional Child, SafeSchools, and SafeColleges – share a primary goal: to leverage technology to help make schools safer places to work and learn.
Our education brands have grown to become the industry standard for staff training in schools, and proudly serve many of the top 100 largest districts in the U.S. and our customers complete millions of courses each year.
Our subscription-based programs are perennial award-winners because they are affordable, easy to use, and leverage technology to help our customers with innovative web-based solutions that address staff and student training, bullying/incident reporting, accident reporting, SDS management, special education, educator evaluation, and professional development tracking.
For us, there is nothing more noble than doing what you love while serving those you love. And for anyone who’s considered a trade career, your time is now.
