CMT Establishes National Skilled Trades Day
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – City Machine Technologies Inc. has established the National Skilled Trades Day with the registrar at National Day Calendar to increase awareness about the benefits of skilled trades jobs in the U.S. and to celebrate skilled trades workers.
National Skilled Trades Day will be observed on the first Wednesday in May annually. The inaugural National Skilled Trades Day will be celebrated on May 1 this year.
Over the last 30 years, interest in skilled-trades jobs has dropped drastically due to an increased push to four-year degrees from universities and colleges. Only 20% of high school seniors have indicated that they have an interest in or will enter a skilled trade job or trade school following high school graduation; this percentage is expected to remain the same or decrease over the next few years, the press release said. Over 50% of workers currently in skilled trades jobs are at or nearing retirement age and this has led to labor shortages in many skilled trades fields.
Skilled trades jobs vary from mechanics to machinists, electricians to construction workers, welders to bakers, and hairstylists to respiratory therapists.
“If we are going to create growth in our communities, we have to celebrate those in skilled trades,” says Claudia Kovach, vice president of CMT. “These jobs are fundamental to communities but are vastly underrated. It’s rewarding to roll up your sleeves and put in an honest day’s work.”
CMT will celebrate the national day in a variety of ways, including catering lunches for their associates and working to raise awareness about the benefits of skilled trades jobs in the area. This will include welcoming students from a local career and technical center’s machining program in for a tour of the CMT facility.
For ideas on how businesses, schools, skilled-trade workers and more can celebrate as well, CMT has posted resources on its website at CMTCompanies.com/national-skilled-trades-day.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
