Take a moment to consider Las Vegas without air conditioning. Tourists would steer clear, especially during this time of year. No one would want to live here either, if they knew there was no escape from the summer heat. Our industries, livelihoods and the city would cease to exist as we know it. Without A/C, our high desert way of life is simply not possible.

Likewise, consider Vegas—or any big city—without electricity or plumbing. The same apocalyptic vision surfaces.

Blue-collar workers like HVAC technicians, electricians, plumbers and welders are essential to Vegas’ existence. And while it’s difficult to imagine these workers disappearing entirely, industry groups warn that the labor pool is experiencing a shortage that could worsen in the coming decades. Imagine having to wait weeks, even months, for someone to be available to fix your central air.

The Associated Builders and Contractors, a national group that promotes the construction industry, estimates that more than half a million additional construction workers are needed to meet the demand for labor in 2024. The group has also underscored the inevitable retirement of a large portion of the workforce in the next two decades, as Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that more than 40% of tradespeople are older than 45.

According to a 2023 Associated General Contractors of America survey of 1,400 firms, 85% reported having open positions they are trying to fill. Among those firms, 88% are having trouble filling at least some of those positions.

The shortage is cause for concern, considering the country is supposed to be on course to $550 billion worth of upgrades to bridges, roads, broadband, water and energy systems through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

“Advanced manufacturing and construction in the green economy spurred by the investments made in the [Bipartisan Infrastructure Law] will cement the need for these workers, and so we must do whatever is necessary to provide the robust workforce skills necessary,” U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford, D-Nev. said in a statement to the Weekly.

The congressman, who led the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas for more than a decade, also mentioned the CHIPS and Science Act, which is intended to boost semiconductor chip manufacturing in the U.S., as a demand driver for advanced manufacturing.

“There is an increasing demand for skill-based training, as roughly 80% of all jobs require some level of postsecondary education or training,” he said.

If we want to keep up with growth and federal investments, our society desperately needs to increase the number of skilled tradespeople entering the workforce. And education and training programs like apprenticeships, trade schools and Career and Technical Education will be instrumental.

That partly means steering away from the prevailing narrative that going to college is superior to learning a trade, which typically doesn’t require a college degree. Skilled trades can actually offer comparable pay to what many degree-earners would expect, according to the Nevada Builders Alliance.

“We’ve talked about needing a four-year degree to be thoroughly successful in the United States. And I think what we’re seeing—and what we’re trying to educate these young adults, or even adults that are maybe looking to transition into a new job—is that you can be monetarily successful, or more successful, learning a trade,” says Glen Martel, CEO of Nevada Builders Alliance. “Some of these young people are coming out [of trade schools] and within a year or two, they’re within a six-figure income, which is unheard of for a lot of college degrees.”

What kind of money are we talking about? Martel says specialized tradespeople like plumbers can start at $60,000 to $70,000 annually, and after a few years of experience, can get bumped up to $80,000 or $90,000.

According to the Associated General Contractors’ survey, 81% of firms raised base pay rates in 2023 to try to attract more qualified workers and overcome workforce shortages.

“You can make good money and have a part in building Nevada’s future. … We’re talking tens of thousands of job openings throughout Nevada, whether that’s logistics opportunities, housing in this belt or even mining up north,” Martel says. 

When it comes to skilled trades, the demand is there, the pay is there, and the pathways are there for people entering the workforce or switching careers.

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Many young people are realizing that blue-collar jobs can provide a career pathway that comes with less—or zero—student loan debt when compared to going to a four-year college.

One of the pathways to a career in the trades is through an apprenticeship, which allows students to earn while they learn. For the construction trades, apprenticeships typically take three to five years to complete and involve a combination of classroom learning and on-the-job training. Unions provide apprenticeships tuition free for those who are accepted into the highly coveted programs.

Pipefitter Nick Vasknetz, 25, recently graduated from UA Local 525’s apprenticeship program, which allows pipefitters, plumbers and service technicians to obtain their journeyman license in five years. Working for P1 Group, he specializes in making sure that medical gas is delivered properly through pipes in Valley hospitals.

Before he started the apprenticeship, Vasknetz gave college a try.

“I was trying to go in for mechanical engineering. And that salary range is [about] $75,000-plus. But at [UA Local] 525, the hourly rate put me higher than that, and I wouldn’t have to pay for the school,” Vasknetz tells the Weekly. “It’s not necessarily that college itself wasn’t appealing, it was just the return on my investment.”

Based on current wages, UA Local 525 apprentices start at a rate of $24.30 an hour, which is 45% of journeyman pay. Apprentices also get a 5% raise every six months they’re in the program. The union’s negotiated journeyman rate is $54 per hour take-home pay. Multiply that by 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, and that translates to an annual salary of more than $112,000.

“I currently have zero debt. [And] I’m a couple credits away from an associate’s degree on top of [my journeyman license],” Vasknetz says.

Aside from monetary earnings and union benefits, when 525 apprentices commit to classroom learning two nights a week for five years, they’re earning credits that can go toward a college degree. Thanks to a partnership between Southern Nevada Building Trades Union, which represents 19 construction unions, and the College of Southern Nevada, many apprenticeships teach accredited courses.

“It’s an ‘and’ and not an ‘or’,” says Aarón Ibarra, chief of staff for Southern Nevada Building Trades Union. “You get paid while you’re actually learning your trade. And you’re able to actually get college credits. We have a partnership with CSN where, by the time you graduate from one of the apprenticeship programs, you’re a couple of classes away from an associate’s degree. … I think it’s been the best kept secret in education for a while now.”

It’s a well-kept secret because apprenticeships have limited space, so they’re not necessarily for everyone. Each semester, the community college has around 2,200 to 2,500 students that are active, taking courses and enrolled as an apprentice—from glaziers to pipefitters to plumbers to carpenters to operating engineers.

As for Vasknetz, his plans for postsecondary education don’t stop at getting a journeyman license. He plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree with support from UA Local 525, and to move up the payscale to superintendent.

“I also plan to teach at my apprenticeship. Through UA’s teaching program, it’s a five-year school again. I will graduate with a teaching certificate and get a bachelor’s degree through that process,” he says.

“I hope to be a general foreman or superintendent in a company, and finishing my degree at that point; maybe being a lead teacher.”

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At age 22, Caleb Furcht is already an assistant instructor at the National Technical Institute (NTI), a trade school in Henderson. His pathway to the trades started when he was 17 years old working in retail.

“I ended up working at Home Depot. And that was kind of my experience, seeing other trades, plumbers, electricians and HVAC mechanics come by. And I was stunned by one, an HVAC guy. I talked to him and he just mainly talked about the money that you can make in the trade and the work, demand—there’s so much demand in the Valley,” Furcht tells the Weekly. 

After three months of classroom training, Furcht was able to get work in the HVAC field and worked there for about two years before becoming an assistant instructor with NTI. He’s happy with the lifestyle his job provides.

“You can only work so many hours. And I can finally afford what I wanted to afford,” he says, adding that people his age are starting to see the benefit of going the trade school route over college. 

“There’s people my age that want to shift over, because sometimes in white collar, you’re not guaranteed a job. I have friends that … took their years of schooling, and they’re not guaranteed a job. Well, you can come over here, you can get three months of training. And then next thing you know, you land a job. And now, you’re making $15 to $20 at the entry level.” 

Unlike many apprenticeships, trade schools charge some level of tuition. But they provide yet another pathway to break into the skilled trades.

NTI teaches courses in electrical, HVAC and plumbing that can be completed in four months. Each program is under $10,000. The primary goal is expedited employment, says campus director Kodi Wilson. The trade school provides worker pipelines for local companies like Larkin Plumbing, One Hour Air Conditioning, Sierra Air Conditioning & Heating and Helix Electric.

“We recognize there’s a gap in the trades, and the individuals coming into the trades aren’t going to go to a traditional four-year college, and that’s typically because of cost. So if we can make it affordable and make sure they can get employed quicker, that’s what they’re looking for,” Wilson says.

“We are actually an on-ramp for a lot of apprenticeship programs … because we’re taking someone who has zero experience—they’re entry level, they’re interested in the trade and they want to get into it. And we’re giving them the fundamentals of those trades. … We’re trying to fill that employment gap … and get them in [the door].”

Wilson, a plumber with 15 years’ experience, says one of the reasons for the dwindling pool of skilled construction workers is because the trades are not promoted in most schools. 

“Maybe it’s that it’s not something to be proud of or glamorized. … When was the last time you heard in a children’s book about being a plumber or an HVAC technician or electrician or a welder? Fireman, policeman, doctor, lawyer, teacher, you know, it’s those. And not that those are bad ... but I want a hot shower, so I’m going to call a plumber,” Wilson says. 

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What is being done to expose high school and even younger kids to the skilled trades as a potential career path? 

The Clark County School District (CCSD) currently has eight Career and Technical Academies for grades 9-12 along with Central Technical Training Academy for 11th and 12th graders. The school district had a 27% increase in enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) during the 2022-23 school year. 

Northeast Career and Technical Academy opened in the 2023-24 school year. The four-year program for high school students aims to “shorten the timeline from freshman orientation to revenue generation.”

“Every student on our campus has selected one of 10 career pathways through the magnet process and CCSD,” says Principal Ryan Cordia. “Within those magnet pathways, which are all career focused, we believe there’s hundreds of jobs.”

Those career pathways include teaching, medical professions, social services, cybersecurity and IT, architecture, engineering, business with an emphasis on logistics, diesel technician, construction and clean energy. The career-focused instruction presents college as just another “means to an end,” and not necessarily a requirement.

“We’re not setting kids up with 720 days of high school so they [can] go to college. We’re setting kids up for 720 days of exploration of who they are, what their passion is, what their abilities are, so they can select their path in life,” Cordia says. “And if college gives them access to that, that’s where they should be going. But for the kid that’s decided [that] they want to go straight to work, their senior year should be set up where they’re getting internships.”

Another CCSD school, Central Technical Training Academy on Maryland Parkway, caters to 11th and 12th graders who are interested in careers in advanced manufacturing and building trades and construction technology. The school focuses on credentials and certifications that will give students a “leg up” in their career pathway, such as OSHA 10, EPA-approved Section 608 certification for students studying HVAC, or SACA certification for advanced manufacturing students.

“The other big focus is just our engagement with the industry and community partners,” says Principal Lilianna Bonderov. “Our goal is to have students have some exposure with people who are potentially hiring managers down the road.”

Blue Bunny, Haas [Automation], Martin-Harris Construction, Southwest Gas and Nevada Gold Mines are just some of the businesses Central Technical Training Academy partners with to shepherd students into careers in advanced manufacturing and building construction. They may come in as guest speakers, sit in on mock interview panels, evaluate student work or even serve as guest instructors.

“There’s several companies who are saying we have to solve this pipeline issue, and the best way is just going directly to high schools,” Bonderov says. “And because the district has such a robust CTE program across the board, we’re able to say, here’s what we’ve already been teaching students in our program, and here’s how you can add to that specialized in the area that you’re interested in hiring them for. There’s that pipeline ready to go when they graduate from this.”

Bonderov adds that the interest in CTEs is surging. Last year, Central Technical Training Academy had about 350 applications for 120 seats. CCSD is slated to open a ninth Career and Technical Academy in fall 2026. 

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Apprenticeships, trade schools and Career and Technical Education are doing their part to develop workforce pipelines needed to build America’s infrastructure. And they’ve done so with a lack of federal funding. According to Congressman Horsford’s office, federal spending on workforce development has fallen by two-thirds over the past four decades.

In an attempt to put more funding toward pipeline programs, the congressman helped introduce the 21st Century SKILLS Act, which would provide individuals with federal grant money for tuition and wrap-around services at registered apprenticeship programs or trade schools that work with their state workforce boards. 

“Workers are desperately needed to deploy the litany of federal dollars that have been committed to projects requiring skilled labor. … With all of the investment flowing into the state from the Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, we need to ensure that we have a homegrown workforce and a ready-to-go pipeline through registered apprenticeships and trade schools that are ready,” Horsford said.

The congressman also said he secured nearly $7 million to build the Historic Westside Education and Training Center. The investment from the Economic Development Administration will support the College of Southern Nevada and City of Las Vegas in constructing the 15,000-square-foot facility. The center will provide credentialed job training programs in advanced manufacturing, health care, technology and construction trades.

“Once completed, the project will help the region with higher-pay employment opportunities, attract private investment and advance economic resiliency,” Horsford said. 

The project is expected to be completed by fall of 2025. And it will be targeting a neighborhood that is most in need of workforce development, says interim executive director Stavan Corbett with CSN’s Division of Workforce.

“It’s an area that has the highest unemployment, the lowest skilled workers and the lowest wage earnings. And so something like this … serves as a resource for economic and generational and social mobility for an underserved community. And it serves as a conduit to support those talent pipeline needs within those in-demand occupations,” Corbett says.

Careers in skilled trades offer economic mobility, transferable skills and even a pathway to a college degree. And the narrative surrounding postsecondary education and blue-collar jobs is starting to reflect that.

“Businesses are beginning to lean more and more toward skill-based versus degree-based, recognizing transferable skill sets and things like industry recognized credentials. So I think it’s starting to normalize [as] an equal pathway,” Corbett says.

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