by John Crowley | May 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Powering the Trades However, we cannot simply rely on one week of advocacy to grow the trades. We must all make a year-round pledge to drive home the need to build a talented, highly skilled workforce and get the word out about the amazing opportunities working in our space can provide.Everyone knows that a long career in the trades provides a sense of long- and short-term financial security that no other field can rival, all without the crippling college debt weighing down so many young professionals in the current economy. There are also some other benefits that making this investment in yourself can present.One of the big things that I’ve taken away from interacting with tradespeople is their fundamental ability to understand and explain how things work. While traditional education has renewed its focus on STEM careers, going through an apprenticeship and starting your career gives you the unique ability to get your hands on complex systems and understand their impact. This is a skill that will not merely serve you well in the shop or on a job site, but it is critical in almost every other part of life. In that same spirit, you will never stop learning either. With all the incredible technological innovation happening before our very eyes, you need to remain a student to remain competitive. This training, which is available through so many avenues, whether it be through SMACNA or our labor partners, gives our workers the opportunity to remain on the cutting edge. Beyond the pay, a career in the trades provides so many other additional dividends that no other sector can really supply. Wellness, both during and after your career, is a top priority. Knowing that you can retire securely and prosperously after making the commitment to the trades grants incredible peace of mind. Knowing that your employer has your back with top-notch health benefits for you and your family is something that cannot be understated. On the theme of “having your back,” the sense of brotherhood/sisterhood that exists within the trades simply cannot be rivaled. You are not merely coworkers; you build a bond that rivals family with teammates who will be there for you through thick and thin.The trades also present unrivaled prospects for growth and achievement. While many careers promise unbounded potential, our industry delivers on that promise. Whether you want to assemble hospital ductwork, create iconic structures, improve school safety or advance from apprentice to business owner, these goals are truly attainable in the trades.Many skilled professionals in our trade are approaching retirement. The best way to honor their legacy is by developing the next generation of workers. Programs like the Heavy Metal Summer Experience introduce young people to the rewarding possibilities of a career in the trades. This is an exciting time for our industry. We have a chance to not just survive, but thrive. I am looking forward to what the future holds! Frank WallSMACNA CEO
by John Crowley | May 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
How a Father’s Advice Built a Career I had just finished high school and was planning on being a CAD operator/engineer in the automotive industry. Around that time, my dad (a journeyman sheet metal worker) made a suggestion that changed my life. He told me to go take the sheet metal apprentice test. When he mentioned it, I joked, “I don’t want to be a dumb sheet metal worker.” He looked at me and said something that changed everything: “Don’t be a dumb one, be a smart one.”I’m really glad I listened to my dad. More than 35 years later, I’ve worked my way up from being an apprentice to owning my own business. I am fortunate that my career has always felt more like my hobby than a job. I can’t think of another job that offers so many opportunities. Where else can you make a good living working with your hands? This career is about much more than just installing ductwork. There are so many ways to use new technology that’s changing our industry. We’ve moved past paper plans on job sites and can now work with project models from anywhere. We’re even starting to use AI to help our companies become smarter and more flexible. Can you name another field where this is possible, and you don’t have to worry about huge college debt? I can’t. Where else can someone start at the bottom and work their way up to owning a business and leading in the industry? I feel lucky to have had this chance, all because of a talk I had with my dad.But not everyone thinking about this field has someone like my dad to guide them. That’s why we need to do more to show high school students and young adults that there’s a real alternative to college. As I travel around the country during my Presidency, this seems to be a common theme. This path offers great benefits, financial security and the chance to build a rewarding career. That’s why SMACNA programs like National Careers in Trades Week are so important. We are and continue to work with SMART to raise awareness about these opportunities. Many of our coworkers are getting ready to retire, and it’s up to us to find the next generation of “smart” sheet metal workers. They’re out there, ready to start their future. Let’s help give them the same push I got back in 1990. Thank you and take care. I can’t think of another job that offers so many opportunities. Where else can someone start at the bottom and work their way up to owning a business and leading in the industry? — Todd Hill
by John Crowley | May 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Workforce Strategies: Building the Workforce
of the Future When the first National Careers in Trades Week launched in April 2025, it was a coordinated measure by SMACNA, SMART, and the International Training Institute to see if the nation was ready to have a different conversation about work. One year later, the returns are in. The Wall Street Journal covered it. So did CNN and Fox News. Local outlets coast to coast ran features and interviews. And the initiative walked away with a Gold W3 Award in the Educational & Instructional section of the Social Campaigns category, one of the most recognized honors in digital outreach.National Careers in Trades Week was back April 6 – 10 this year, and it was bigger, better funded and more urgently needed than ever. This year, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI), the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) and the Heavy Metal Summer Experience joined the founding coalition, and new research commissioned by SMACNA from Wakefield Research tells a story that no amount of marketing could have manufactured. The American public — Gen Z, in particular — is already coming around to the trades on its own.The industry just needs to meet them there.A LABOR MARKET AT A CROSSROADSThe 2026 edition of National Careers in Trades Week arrived at a peculiar moment in the American economy. The broader job market has stagnated — fewer postings, harder-to-land positions and a white-collar hiring freeze in sectors that once felt bulletproof. But skilled trades tell a different story. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professions in the skilled trades are projected to experience faster-than-average job growth from 2024 through 2034. The BLS Occupational Outlook predicts more than 600,000 construction job openings annually, and the median annual wage in the trades has risen to $58,000 — up from $55,000 just a year earlier — surpassing the median for all occupations, depending on your local collective bargaining agreement.For union members, the picture is even stronger. Nationwide, full-time union construction workers earn a median that is more than $23,500 per year higher than their nonunion counterparts, according to BLS median weekly earnings data. And the Construction Labor Research Council reports that wages across the industry are rising above 4% annually as employers compete for workers in an increasingly tight labor market.In the sheet metal and HVAC space specifically, the stakes are especially clear. Approximately 35,000 sheet metal workers are expected to retire in the coming years. Over half of the current workforce is already over 45. For every five workers who leave the trade, only two are entering it. The deficit is structural, and it is deepening.“There is a lot that has changed about our country over the years: technology, artificial intelligence, you name it,” says Michael Coleman, general president of SMART. “But one thing that won’t ever change is this simple fact: We need skilled trades workers to build our country.”SMART members are building hospitals, managing air quality in schools and ensuring that apartment and office buildings operate efficiently. But the union — and the industry — cannot sustain that work without a new generation of workers ready to carry it forward. THE TEENS ARE ALREADY LISTENINGThe headline finding from this year’s Wakefield Research study, commissioned by SMACNA, is striking in its directness: 75% of teens aged 13 to 18 say they would consider a trade job over going to college. Not “might consider,” but “would consider” as a viable and appealing alternative, if they knew the pay was higher than average.The survey asked what would tip a teenager toward the trades, and the results reveal a generation that is thinking practically and economically. Thirty percent cited higher pay, good benefits and paid apprenticeships as the most compelling factors. Twenty-four percent said the opportunity for promotion would sway them. Twenty-one percent said knowing that their work was vital to the economy would matter. And 19% pointed to the sheer growth in available positions.These are the calculations of a generation that has watched student loan debt cripple its predecessors and has drawn conclusions. College enrollment rates have been declining since 2010, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics with enrollment rebounding slightly since 2022.The Wall Street Journal captured this shift in a widely circulated piece that dubbed Gen Z the “toolbelt generation,” a label that has since stuck across the national conversation about workforce development. The numbers behind it are concrete: enrollment in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% to its highest level since the National Student Clearinghouse began tracking such data in 2018. Enrollment in construction trade programs rose 23%. HVAC and vehicle maintenance programs rose 7%.An earlier Thumbtack survey of Gen Z graduates found that about nine in 10 said learning a skilled trade offered a more reliable path to economic security than college. And a Jobber survey found that 75% of high school and college-age respondents said they would be interested in vocational schools offering paid, on-the-job training — the very model that apprenticeship programs in the sheet metal industry have perfected over decades.The gender data is also notable. Interest among Gen Z women and men in the trades is now nearly equal — 52% versus 57%, respectively. That near-parity represents a structural shift from previous generations and an opportunity that the industry should be actively cultivating.“Skilled professions offer rewarding career opportunities for all people, including young adults, women, veterans and anyone who is looking for a career change,” says Frank Wall, CEO of SMACNA. “The wages and job security that trade careers offer provide a faster means to home ownership, upward mobility and saving for retirement that other pathways don’t always ensure.”PARENTS ARE ON BOARD, AND THAT CHANGES EVERYTHINGOne of the most underappreciated findings in the SMACNA research is about the parents of these teenagers. In the 2025 Wakefield Research survey of 500 parents with children currently enrolled in high school or college, 89% said it was smart for young adults to consider pursuing a trade career, given the job market, the economy and the weight of college debt. And 86% said they would be open to or would actively encourage their child to pursue that path.Forty-seven percent said their child had already mentioned wanting to go into a trade. That parental shift matters enormously. For decades, the cultural current ran in the opposite direction — the four-year degree was the expected destination, and anything else carried an implicit stigma. That stigma is eroding, and it is eroding at the family dinner table. When a parent hears that a sheet metal apprentice can earn up to $87,500 in their first year and can reach $120,000 to $200,000 in wages and benefits within four to five years of completing an apprenticeship, depending on your local collective bargaining agreement — with no college debt — the math becomes difficult to argue with.The industry’s task is not to persuade a resistant public. It is to amplify a conversation that is already happening and give it the language, the data and the pathways it needs to turn interest into enrollment. A COALITION THAT HAS GROWNThe 2025 inaugural National Careers in Trades Week was anchored by SMACNA, SMART and the ITI — the organizations with the most direct stake in recruiting the next generation of sheet metal and HVAC workers. The 2026 edition has expanded that coalition significantly, and the additions signal something important: this is no longer a single-industry recruitment campaign. It is a cross-trades movement.In 2026, new partners included the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI), the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) and the Heavy Metal Summer Experience. Each brings its own member base, its own regional networks and its own workforce development infrastructure to a shared platform.NECA CEO David Long framed his organization’s participation in terms that resonate far beyond the electrical industry. “A career in the electrical industry offers more than a paycheck; it offers purpose, stability and opportunity,” he says. “Electrical construction professionals are building the systems that power our economy, keep our communities safe and bring us light at the flick of a switch. This industry provides high-quality training, competitive wages, strong benefits and clear pathways for advancement, allowing individuals to successfully transform their lives and families while contributing to a more connected and sustainable future.”The expansion of the coalition also positions National Careers in Trades Week alongside a parallel federal push. The U.S. Department of Labor announced that National Apprenticeship Week 2026 — set for April 26 through May 2, under the theme “America at Work: Making America Skilled Again Through Registered Apprenticeship” — will run just weeks after National Careers in Trades Week. The event is tied directly to the Trump administration’s goal of reaching one million active apprentices and to presidential executive orders on skilled trades, AI education and national industrial reinvestment.Since the start of the current administration, more than 363,000 new individuals have started apprenticeships — a figure that the Department of Labor is actively building on. The timing of both weeks created a month-long national drumbeat around workforce development in the trades, with National Careers in Trades Week generating the public awareness and National Apprenticeship Week translating that attention into specific pathways.THE ECONOMIC CASE, BY THE NUMBERSFor contractors, workforce developers and educators looking to make the case for a career in sheet metal and HVAC, the 2026 data package is the strongest it has ever been. Here is the picture as it stands, depending on your local collective bargaining agreement:$58,000 — Median annual wage in skilled trades (2025), up from $55,000 the prior year, exceeding the median for all U.S. occupations.$23,556-plus — Annual wage premium for full-time union construction workers over their nonunion counterparts, based on BLS median weekly earnings data.600,000-plus — Construction job openings projected annually through 2034, with faster-than-average growth across the trades.$87,500 — What a SMART sheet metal apprentice can earn in their first year, including wages and benefits, depending on your local collective bargaining agreement.$120,000–$200,000 — Wages and benefits achievable within four to five years of completing a union sheet metal apprenticeship, depending on your local collective bargaining agreement.$0 — Student debt incurred through an earn-while-you-learn apprenticeship, compared to an average of $34,000 for a four-year bachelor’s degree.5 to 2 — The ratio of trade workers retiring to new workers entering the field. WHAT THE TRADES ACTUALLY OFFEROne of the recurring themes in the National Careers in Trades Week campaign — and in the broader public conversation that the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Fox News helped amplify — is that the trades have shed the image of being low-tech, low-status work. That image was never accurate for sheet metal and HVAC, and it is now actively counterproductive.HVAC systems account for 30% to 40% of building energy use. The workers who design, install and maintain them are on the front lines of the green building revolution, reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy efficiency and enabling the kind of high-performance infrastructure that chip plants, data centers and healthcare facilities require. Modern laser welding, drone-assisted inspection, BIM coordination and AI-enabled project management are reshaping what it means to work in the trade. The workers entering the field today will spend their careers at that intersection of physical mastery and digital fluency.The entrepreneurial pathway is also underappreciated. Many of the most successful contractors in the SMACNA network started as apprentices. With experience, those workers can open fabrication shops, manage service operations, move into project management and estimating, or eventually own their own businesses. It is one of the fastest routes to business ownership available in the American economy without requiring a degree.And unlike industries that have seen jobs migrate offshore or dissolve into automation, sheet metal and mechanical work must be done on site by skilled hands in the buildings where Americans live and work. These jobs cannot be outsourced. In a labor market that has grown increasingly uncertain, that is not a small thing.“Union apprenticeships aren’t just a career path,” Coleman says, “they’re a gateway to a stable, rewarding future. By investing in the next generation of trade workers, we’re building a skilled workforce that will power our industries and communities for decades to come.”APRIL 6 – 10: YEAR TWO RESULTSNational Careers in Trades Week 2026 ran April 6 through April 10 with cross-industry visibility efforts designed to reach job seekers, students, parents and the broader public. Throughout the week, participating organizations, including SMACNA, SMART, ITI, MCAA, NECA, NEMI, SMOHIT and HMSE, coordinated outreach across digital platforms, media and local markets.For SMACNA members, National Careers in Trades Week represented both an opportunity and a responsibility. The research is there. The public appetite is there. The partnership infrastructure is there. What translates all of it into actual workers walking through the door of a local JATC is local engagement — contractors and industry partners showing up in their communities, talking to high school students, hosting tours, partnering with career and technical education programs, and making the invisible visible.SMACNA members participated by visiting nationalcareersintradesweek.com for resources, toolkits and event information. The Heavy Metal Summer Experience, which gives young people a hands-on introduction to sheet metal work, continues to serve as one of the most effective on-ramps the industry has developed, and its reach is growing.While the first National Careers in Trades Week landed on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal, CNN and Fox News, the second had the wind at its back with a stagnant broader job market, a generation actively looking for alternatives to college debt, parents who are ready to have the conversation and a coalition of trade organizations larger and better-resourced than the one that launched this effort just one year ago.Photos: Sheet Metal Werks, Heavy Metal Summer Experience, Ernest D. Menold Inc. EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on National Careers in Trades Week, visit nationalcareersintradesweek.com. For resources on the SMART apprenticeship program and the International Training Institute, visit iti-sti.org.
by John Crowley | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized
How Contractors Can Avoid Three Common Mistakes During Periods of Growth However, given the cyclical nature of construction, assumptions that hold true during slower periods may not hold when project demand accelerates. Project-by-project budgeting, fluctuating material prices and labor availability challenges make it difficult to predict and allocate resources accurately and effectively. As contractors navigate the “peaks and valleys” of the construction cycle, avoiding three common mistakes can help maintain growth momentum and prevent avoidable strain: Cash Flow Blind Spots When Workload Increases Cash flow may be more challenging to manage when project volume increases quickly. During slower periods, some contractors rely on borrowing between jobs to cover labor, equipment or overhead. Larger jobs often require significant upfront mobilization costs, and without disciplined forecasting and timely billing, a shortfall may be more challenging to identify. Regularly monitoring cash flow by contract size, timing and billing structure keeps working capital aligned with the contractor’s goals and provides a stronger foundation for larger opportunities. In certain situations, it actually may require infusion of additional capital or possible a request to the company’s bank for a temporary or permanent increase in available line of credit.Relying on Outdated or Incomplete Cost Data on New Bids Every bid is built on assumptions about labor, materials and subcontractor pricing. In busy cycles, those inputs can shift quickly, which means the costs or productivity expectations from the last project may not apply to the next one. When those changes aren’t communicated or updated, estimators may base bids on outdated assumptions, creating a gap between what the job was priced to deliver and what is required in the field. Keeping cost data current and sharing field updates regularly helps contractors price work accurately during growth.Not Reviewing the WIP Schedule Frequently EnoughWith more jobs running at once, underbilling, fading margins, or shifting timelines can surface quickly. If the WIP is not reviewed regularly, these issues may go unnoticed until the financial impact becomes more difficult to control or correct. Consistent WIP reviews help contractors communicate real-time job performance with lenders and protect profitability as project volume rises. Keeping these schedules up to date provides an early warning system and helps ensure that financial decisions reflect the true status of each job. It is recommended that WIP schedules be prepared and analyzed at least monthly.”Periods of high demand allow contractors to reinforce the systems and best practices that will support them in slower months.”Periods of high demand allow contractors to reinforce the systems and best practices that will support them in slower months. Using growth periods to sharpen forecasting, improve job visibility, and update cost data helps contractors sustain momentum, not only through the current workload but also as market conditions shift. For more information, contact Ronald J. Eagar, CPA, CCIFP Partner at Grassi, at reagar@grassiadvisors.com, through www.grassiadvisors.com or at 516-336-2460.
by John Crowley | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized
Ins and Outs of Automation This article focuses on automation, but AI can easily be substituted in as well. While concerns often resurface during election cycles, the reality is that automation has been part of our industry for decades. Rather than embracing it blindly or resisting it outright, it’s worth looking at how these tools may actually affect our workforce and our work.The most common concern is job loss. This fear is valid and deserves to be addressed thoughtfully. Some roles do disappear when automation is introduced, but that does not automatically translate to net job loss. A frequently cited example is the introduction of ATMs in the 1970s. While many expected bank tellers to be replaced, banks ultimately hired more employees as automation reduced routine tasks and enabled expansion. The work ended up changing, often becoming more customer focused and meaningful.A similar dynamic exists in construction. Equipment such as coil lines, plasma and laser tables, and multi-axis cutters can reduce labor on repetitive cutting tasks. But when viewed across the full workflow, one or two operators can feed multiple downstream workstations. Automation removes bottlenecks and allows more people to stay productive in higher-skill assembly, welding, and installation work.Another concern is the loss of craft. In practice, the craft doesn’t disappear, it just shifts. Tradespeople still rely on deep knowledge to ensure machines produce accurate, high-quality parts. The most demanding skill often shows up later in the process, where workers assemble complex systems, adapt to changing jobsite conditions, and ensure components fit into a constantly evolving building.Automation also enables contractors to take on more work. While labor hours may be reduced on individual assemblies or projects, improved speed and accuracy allow firms to bid competitively and increase overall capacity. With strong backlogs across much of the industry, efficiency gains often translate into more total work, not less.One of construction’s strengths is how these tools are developed and adopted. Many automation solutions are created in collaboration with contractors, unions, and shop workers, with a focus on improving safety and efficiency rather than replacing people. That collaboration has also created new roles in engineering, installation, and maintenance.Automation isn’t going away. What matters is how we continue to adopt it thoughtfully, collaboratively, and with respect for the workforce that makes this industry run. Travis Voss is the Director of Innovative Technology and Fabrication at SMACNA. He leverages his background in the tech field to explore, adapt and potentially develop technologies and workflows for the construction industry, particularly as it undergoes its digital transformation.
