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In honor of National Tradespeople Day on September 21st, the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation and Build Your Future Arizona (BYFAZ) are recognizing skilled laborers in our community.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are about 2.6 million labor workers in the Greater Phoenix region. BYFAZ works hard on behalf of these workers and their employers through its mission to create a sustainable and skilled craft workforce. It does so by creating awareness about high-paying construction careers, training opportunities, and mapping career paths to employment in these high-demand occupations.
Matt Galindo and George David Skinner work as Journeymen for Corbin’s Electric. Below, they answer our questions and share insight on how people can break into the beneficial skills trade industry.
A: In 2011, I started as an apprentice for an electrician, because I was looking for work. I started growing from there and working for different companies to gain various experiences.
A: The opportunity to constantly learn. There’s always an aspect of the field that you can learn from, something new to always master.
A: As you learn to do things with your hands, your confidence grows in other areas of life. What you learn in your current trade can open doors in another field.
A: Work is expanding! Homes and businesses are going up all over the place (that) we are building. There are always job opportunities.
A: (To see) more examples of how it benefits people. It gives you other options for doing something with your life, as opposed to only having one option of going to college and having loans. It gives people the option of seeing that they can develop themselves sooner, rather than in the long run, while making a living.
A: If school is offered take it. If training is offered take it. Put in your time and stay with it, it will open a lot of doors for your future. It allowed me to do what I want within reason.
A: You could go to school and still be an apprentice, or you could go through the trade school (apprenticeship) and put it into use as you learn from the trade school. The apprenticeship (taught me) things that I don’t know, things I didn’t learn in the field that I would be able to put to use in the field with Corbin’s and (in) my career in general.
A: Opportunity; I moved here from Hawaii. I never did electrical (jobs) and was looking for work. I saw Corbin’s was hiring and started their apprenticeship program. Corbin’s was available to train.
A: Helping develop people into quality people and showing them how to meaningfully do their job. No quality guys, no quality work. Replicate and produce quality people.
A: Personally, it allowed me to gain more leadership skills like problem-solving, troubleshooting, a positive attitude, and grit. Organization within the workplace helps organize (my) life. Effective communication (on the site) can translate into open communication at home and with friends. Professionally, I grew from the training that Corbin’s offers; such as Rockstar, emotional intelligence, and social awareness. I learned how to manage crews and understand their situation and facilitate their needs.
A: There are lots of opportunities in the trades (industry). Whereas in other states you couldn’t find electrical work, because jobs were taken or there wasn’t growth opportunity. Arizona is constantly growing. Silicon Valley chip companies are coming in and always expanding, with lots of work (opportunities). Commerce is really good here!
A: It’s greatly needed because infrastructure (growth) for the trades is needed. With the growing industry, it’s important to get skilled workers in the field to accommodate the growing demand. It’s important to bring awareness to the need of the trades.
A: Jump in with both feet! I came (in with) zero knowledge and Corbin’s trained me and allowed me to improve my industry knowledge and accelerate my career. You can get trained quickly and learn quickly, but you can make money quickly as well. There’s a contrast to traditional education, where you take out loans. Here you work as you go and pay off (debt) as you go (Corbin’s covers apprenticeship). Plus, there are tons of work opportunities.
A: Some people may be a little concerned about safety, but with Corbin’s teaches safety protocols, LOTO, and is being big on doing things the right way. Corbin’s takes safety seriously; they circumvent the misperception of electrical work not being safe. They make sure the work is done right, but also that the guys are taken care of (the right to stop work if a situation is unsafe – put in PTPs).
Did you like what you read and want to learn more about a future in the skilled trades industry? Construction careers in today’s market are about high-tech, high-stakes, huge earning potential, and if specialized the opportunity to travel the world. Wherever you are in your education, there’s a way for you to start training and securing the right credentials now. Check out BYFAZ’s website to learn how.