Mackie Monday | Growing the Industry

This Mackie Monday happens to align precisely with a time when many young adults are celebrating graduation and asking themselves, “So what happens next?” For that reason, I want to talk about the state of the industry and what we’re doing about it.

We live in a time where many students believe the right and only next step in their career is a four-year college, which will often leave them in tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt and a highly competitive job market.

I have an important message: we are suffering a significant trades crisis. This and following generations are the people we look to, to solve this problem.

The NEC reported that 7,000 electricians join the field each year, but 10,000 retire. Job availability is increasing and laborers are decreasing – that deficit impacts all areas of construction.

The average electrician’s salary is $55,000 with many earning significantly more and the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that more than 114,700 electrician jobs will be available in the next 10 years.

Combine opportunity and little to no debt for starting this career – joining the trades becomes an obvious conversation.

So what are we doing about the trades crisis? Trying to make trade school an easy choice. We created the Brighter Future Scholarship to help young graduates launch their trades career and invest in the next generation of CES customers.

We want to change young people’s lives and bolster this industry. We partnered with Milwaukee Tool for this scholarship so that each of our five students receives a starter kit of necessary hand tools to kick off their career with little financial obligation.

More details on application here.

The entry period closes tomorrow, May 31 at 11:59 P.M. I know the people in this company to be incredible and I believe we can make a difference in the current trades deficit.

Thank you for supporting this mission!