1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,560
Soften your senses, ways to become a better speaker, listener and follower.

2
00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:15,160
This episode brought to you by Explore the Trades, supporting and promoting the next

3
00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,280
generation of tradespeople for plumbing, HVAC and electrical.

4
00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,080
Learn more at explorethetrades.org.

5
00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:29,180
All right everyone, thank you so much for joining us at the 2024 National HVACR Education Conference.

6
00:00:29,180 --> 00:00:36,040
So we are spending time with 1200 of the top educators and trainers from the industry learning

7
00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:40,200
about the different opportunities and transitions that we're going through.

8
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,380
And we're spending some time with Explore the Trades.

9
00:00:43,380 --> 00:00:44,720
Thank you ladies so much for joining us.

10
00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:45,720
How are you today?

11
00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:46,720
Good.

12
00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:47,720
How are you?

13
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:48,720
I'm doing well.

14
00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:50,200
You want to introduce yourself while we're getting started here?

15
00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:51,200
Sure.

16
00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:52,200
Yeah.

17
00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:53,200
So my name is Maddie Sorensen.

18
00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,760
I'm the project coordinator with Explore the Trades.

19
00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:56,760
And I'm Toni Bower.

20
00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:58,720
I am the donor engagement specialist.

21
00:00:58,720 --> 00:00:59,720
All right.

22
00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,960
So a lot of people may not be aware of Explore the Trades.

23
00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:08,320
And we've spent some time in the past talking about your role in the industry that's rapidly

24
00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:11,560
growing and expanding and making connections.

25
00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:16,240
You know, Howard Weiss from here at Esco, he always talks about Esco as kind of like

26
00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:17,240
a dating service.

27
00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,720
And I feel like that's kind of how Explore the Trades is turning into in the industry.

28
00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:23,520
It's like a dating service for professionals, right?

29
00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:24,880
It's like connecting the dots.

30
00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:26,060
It's like, what are you doing?

31
00:01:26,060 --> 00:01:27,680
How can we help you?

32
00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,240
And let's move this industry together.

33
00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,880
And I just absolutely love what you're doing.

34
00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:38,160
So tell the world a little bit about Explore the Trades, where it came from and where we're

35
00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:39,160
going.

36
00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:40,160
Yeah.

37
00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,600
So Explore the Trades is a nonprofit.

38
00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:49,200
Our mission is to bridge the technical talent gap to the trades of plumbing, HVAC and electrical.

39
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:53,680
Kind of primarily how we do that is we work really heavily with that K through 12 audience,

40
00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,280
so students and educators and counselors in particular, and just to kind of give them

41
00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,600
a foundational knowledge about these trades.

42
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,680
Because from a lot of the conversations that we've had in the past, especially with educators,

43
00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,440
they know that these careers are viable and they have students that would be a really

44
00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:15,400
great fit, but they just don't know themselves how to talk about the industry well, so the

45
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:17,500
students can get a good picture of that.

46
00:02:17,500 --> 00:02:23,680
So we have a couple different programs that we operate to bridge that information gap.

47
00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:25,940
I'll just talk about one really briefly.

48
00:02:25,940 --> 00:02:28,200
One is our poster kits have been really popular.

49
00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,720
I've seen a lot of those out there here recently.

50
00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:31,720
Yeah, yeah.

51
00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:32,720
Great to hear.

52
00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:33,720
Yeah, I have.

53
00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:34,720
They keep popping up.

54
00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:35,720
I'm like, ah, there's another one.

55
00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:36,720
There's another one.

56
00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:37,720
Yes.

57
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:38,720
Yeah.

58
00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:39,720
So those have been really popular.

59
00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,040
And just a brief description of them, there's five posters included, plumbing, HVAC, electrical,

60
00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:47,840
and then we've also included kind of that customer service dispatch career path as well,

61
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,960
just to kind of illustrate that world also.

62
00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,100
And then last post, there's just kind of a general why consider occurring the trades.

63
00:02:54,100 --> 00:02:59,280
But all of these posters just provide a visual of what a career path looks like in these

64
00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:00,280
trades.

65
00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,080
So starting from kind of apprenticeship or right out of high school and then going all

66
00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:08,960
the way up to owning your own company, because a lot of students, when they can kind of see

67
00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,280
where they would start and where they would go, it's just a really good visual for them

68
00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,320
to understand and then especially for the teachers as well.

69
00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:19,720
So a lot of the feedback that we've gotten from educators, especially who have requested

70
00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:24,080
the kits and put them up in hallways and classrooms is students have come up and said, well, you

71
00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:28,240
know, I see that I can make like six figures in the trades and I could own my own business.

72
00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:29,240
I did not know that.

73
00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:30,240
Yeah.

74
00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:31,960
Can you tell me a little bit more about that?

75
00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,960
And so then, you know, they can go to our website and find a bunch of additional resources

76
00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:36,960
as well.

77
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,040
But you know, that's just one program of ours that has been popular.

78
00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:45,560
And I see that being very important because when we talk about that gap of communication,

79
00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:53,120
especially in K-12, our instructors have a difficult time communicating with like counselors

80
00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:54,120
and advisors.

81
00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:55,520
Yes, of course.

82
00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:56,760
And that's changing.

83
00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:02,080
And that's that role that you're helping fill right there is the industry in the world is

84
00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:07,560
starting to recognize that, wow, there's really good, high paying, high quality, high value

85
00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:12,160
jobs that we haven't talked about in a few generations.

86
00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,280
But without seeing it, you just don't know.

87
00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:22,400
Like you can walk into any high school and you can see what a doctor's job would look

88
00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:23,400
like.

89
00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,320
You're going to see photos of a doctor.

90
00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,620
You're going to see classes that would get you towards that degree.

91
00:04:28,620 --> 00:04:30,220
You're going to see a path.

92
00:04:30,220 --> 00:04:36,320
But when we talk about jobs that have potential equivalency in the trades and everyone goes

93
00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,720
shop class pays that much.

94
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:42,080
There's a big disconnect.

95
00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,080
Sure.

96
00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,640
And that's really what we have to do.

97
00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:50,200
We have to focus on the awareness of what is available in the industry, especially as

98
00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:52,960
we're making all these technological changes.

99
00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,880
Our industry has a lot to offer somebody.

100
00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,600
Love it.

101
00:04:58,600 --> 00:04:59,760
OK.

102
00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,880
So what else in the pipeline with Explore the Trades for 2024?

103
00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,800
Yeah, we have a lot of exciting things coming up.

104
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:11,240
One that we're definitely excited about that will be coming up here the 1st of May.

105
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,040
We're going to announce the winners of our skills lab initiatives.

106
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:15,040
I've seen that.

107
00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:16,040
Yes.

108
00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,400
So just a brief background on that.

109
00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:21,800
Explore the Trades and Ferguson have partnered to build plumbing and HVAC labs in middle

110
00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:23,840
schools and high schools across the country.

111
00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:25,120
It's been a wonderful program.

112
00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,560
We're currently in our third year and applications close on March 31st.

113
00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,280
So if there's anyone out there that wants to...

114
00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:33,040
Yeah, there's still some time.

115
00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:37,280
So if anyone wants to apply, we'd certainly encourage you to do so.

116
00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:40,040
Last year we had 11 schools, Tony.

117
00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:41,040
I'm blanking.

118
00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:42,040
Eleven schools.

119
00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:43,040
There we go.

120
00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:44,040
OK.

121
00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:45,040
I lost it here.

122
00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,080
So 11 schools total last year.

123
00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,080
So that was our second year.

124
00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:50,320
Our first year we had three.

125
00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,520
So we've just seen some tremendous growth, which has been amazing.

126
00:05:54,520 --> 00:06:00,200
So we're excited to announce those winners on May 1st and then just see how we can build

127
00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:01,200
those classrooms.

128
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:05,600
I will say there's funding available for schools who are building brand new skills labs or

129
00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,440
if they currently have an existing training space, but it just needs some new equipment,

130
00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:10,440
a little bit of love.

131
00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,000
There's funding there as well.

132
00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,000
Really?

133
00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,000
Yes.

134
00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:16,520
I think any school is welcome to apply.

135
00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:21,220
We would love, you know, obviously the opportunity to get the skilled trades conversation back

136
00:06:21,220 --> 00:06:22,480
into schools.

137
00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,040
And that's what we're trying to do.

138
00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:25,040
OK.

139
00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:29,320
I actually was up last night doing video editing with one of our instructors and a group of

140
00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:31,880
us were kind of doing a recap from yesterday.

141
00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,720
And that was one of the big things that came up was there's a lot of new technology coming

142
00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:37,400
to the industry.

143
00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:42,600
My lab is a little dated and I don't know where to begin.

144
00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,760
I mean, maybe there's Perkins, maybe there's putting applications in for the school.

145
00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:49,160
I don't know where my resources are.

146
00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:50,160
Here's a new resource.

147
00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:51,160
Yep.

148
00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:52,160
All right.

149
00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:59,720
So if someone is interested in becoming a part of that and learning more about what

150
00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,400
you're doing, where would they begin?

151
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:02,400
Yeah.

152
00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:07,240
So I just would encourage anyone who's interested in any of our resources or impossibly partnering

153
00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:08,240
with us.

154
00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:13,640
You know, just go to our website, you know, everything, you know, posters, videos, handouts,

155
00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:14,640
everything is on there.

156
00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,800
And then we have a ton of information as well about, you know, possible partnership or sponsorship

157
00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:20,200
with Explore the Trades.

158
00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,920
Tony, I'll kick it over to you just briefly if you want to just talk about a little bit

159
00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:27,040
of what we have on the website in terms of like industry partners.

160
00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:28,160
Yeah, absolutely.

161
00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:30,320
So again, I'm the newest addition in the team.

162
00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,200
So we kind of have a little bit more bandwidth to be able to reach out and connect with industry

163
00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:37,280
partners and we're really excited about the potential that there is there.

164
00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,080
Yeah, we're exploring what that looks like.

165
00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,840
We're always, you know, of course, open to sponsorship because we are a nonprofit.

166
00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:44,360
So we rely on those donations.

167
00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:49,080
But we're certainly, you know, open to creative ways that we can work together in the future.

168
00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,600
And we're open to any and all, you know, manufacturers, distributors.

169
00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,640
We're really eager to, you know, get in front of that audience and connect with them, develop

170
00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,320
those relationships, as well as home service companies.

171
00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,360
There's a lot of opportunity, a lot of missed opportunity out there because we get that

172
00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:05,880
question all the time.

173
00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:11,680
So we have a portal that we will help educators, the educator resource network.

174
00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:16,200
But a lot of times they're calling me on I would I need equipment.

175
00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:18,320
I need just used damaged equipment.

176
00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:19,600
Where do I where do I even go?

177
00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:21,160
Who do I talk to?

178
00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,500
And so now it's an opportunity to start making those connections because you've got distributors

179
00:08:24,500 --> 00:08:27,640
out there that may have scratch and dents or things that are going to scrap pile.

180
00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,920
You may have contractors that have equipment that is very usable in the classrooms.

181
00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:36,520
So a lot of times when we talk about needing tools and equipment for the classroom and

182
00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:37,680
we don't have the funds available.

183
00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:39,360
Well, what if there's options?

184
00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:43,200
What if we have industry partners that are trying to get rid of things and they don't

185
00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,240
know who to give them to?

186
00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:48,240
And so you're helping make those kind of connections.

187
00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,480
Yeah, I feel like they're essential for like the success of the industry.

188
00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:56,400
Like everyone needs to partner and work together and we can all kind of fill each other like

189
00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:58,120
the gaps for one another.

190
00:08:58,120 --> 00:08:59,120
Exactly.

191
00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:01,720
So we went to a contractor here at the conference.

192
00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:06,160
We were talking about inverter technology because all of our classrooms need to be teaching

193
00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:07,440
inverter technology.

194
00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,480
That's where everything is going in HVAC and refrigeration in a very, very short period

195
00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:12,480
of time.

196
00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:16,600
And I was talking to this contractor and said, you know, I got like 25 warranty pieces of

197
00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,360
equipment that are all inverter driven that are going to go into scrap pile.

198
00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:24,640
They've all had problems, different things with them, but they're all there and they

199
00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:29,080
have the components that could be cut out, shown, torn apart, shown how they actually

200
00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:30,560
fit and where they go.

201
00:09:30,560 --> 00:09:32,000
What do you do with things like that?

202
00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:38,720
And I go, well, you're one of 1200 people out here that would like to have conversations

203
00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:42,880
like that because there's not enough of these connections like Explore the Trades is now

204
00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:43,880
doing.

205
00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:48,960
There's all of these different pieces of the puzzle and they're all moving and they're

206
00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:53,520
not shifting.

207
00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:58,240
So I see Explore the Trades as being that, that function in the middle that is helping

208
00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:05,680
make those connections, bringing that awareness to not just our trade, but HVAC, plumbing

209
00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:07,080
and electrical as well.

210
00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:10,920
Do you see all three of the trades utilizing those resources?

211
00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:15,280
Do you see all three trades going, we got to be better at what we're doing?

212
00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,040
Yeah, definitely.

213
00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:21,600
You know, we, you know, working with all three of those trades, you know, everyone is looking

214
00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,000
for new technicians, new people to come into the industry.

215
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:25,000
Yeah.

216
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:29,400
And so we've seen one trader over the other, you know, have more, you know, more interest

217
00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:30,400
in that.

218
00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,800
It's definitely, yeah, everyone is, everyone's looking to bridge that skilled labor gap.

219
00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:36,440
So isn't that good feeling?

220
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:37,440
Yes.

221
00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:38,440
I love it.

222
00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:40,920
I feel like it's a, almost a generational shift.

223
00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:41,920
Yeah.

224
00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:46,920
You know, we had a conversation earlier about the, almost there was like a stigma a couple

225
00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:51,840
decades ago because we had a significant supply of technicians.

226
00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,080
And so people didn't communicate very well.

227
00:10:55,080 --> 00:11:00,440
And so there was this lack of communication that just kind of became a standard.

228
00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:05,840
And we don't know why, except for people are just trying to protect their own roles.

229
00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:11,940
You know, it was just a way to secure your own position by not sharing and not communicating.

230
00:11:11,940 --> 00:11:13,840
But that is, that has changed.

231
00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,400
The world is changing.

232
00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:21,160
People are becoming much more aware of their resources.

233
00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:26,440
Technology is making it more, I mean, look at this, we're sitting here talking about

234
00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:31,400
things that is going to be shared with the world that we really couldn't do very easily

235
00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,640
20 years ago.

236
00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,400
So I absolutely love what you're doing.

237
00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,480
Anything else we want to dive into while we're here today?

238
00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:44,040
I guess we could talk a little bit, you know, about, we attend the ASCA conference, which

239
00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:46,960
is the American School Counselor Association Conference.

240
00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:52,080
And that's been extremely valuable for our outreach as far as connecting with educators

241
00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:53,080
and school counselors.

242
00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,000
It brings together thousands of them.

243
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:59,320
That's been essential for our outreach just because we get a little bit more insight about

244
00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:05,120
their knowledge of the trades, as well as, you know, being able to provide our resources.

245
00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:06,480
Yeah, that's essential.

246
00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,000
We usually go, I believe it's every July.

247
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:10,000
Yeah.

248
00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:11,000
Yeah.

249
00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:12,000
And that's been great.

250
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:13,000
So how are you received there?

251
00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,760
Are we starting to see administrations looking at the trades more now?

252
00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:16,920
Yes, very much so.

253
00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:17,920
Yes.

254
00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:18,920
Yeah, I would definitely say so.

255
00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:24,240
You know, I've gone, I went my first year with Explore the Trades and even, you know,

256
00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,360
back in, that would have been 2021, 22.

257
00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:32,720
Anyways, we definitely saw, you know, just like an uptick in not only, you know, the

258
00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,520
people that were coming by our table and wanted more information while we were there, but

259
00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:38,560
just additional outreach after the fact.

260
00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:42,880
You know, schools are reaching out to us more now a little bit, I would say, you know, just

261
00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,880
looking for additional information, you know, not only, you know, physical resources that

262
00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:52,000
we can provide, but just information because yes, you know, administrations definitely are

263
00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,920
now turning more towards, you know, we need to talk more about these skilled trades careers

264
00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:02,360
versus only pushing that four year, that four year college path because, you know, it's

265
00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:06,600
not not for every student and they're just wonderful opportunities, obviously, in the

266
00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:10,360
trades that schools are realizing a little bit more now that they need to talk about.

267
00:13:10,360 --> 00:13:11,360
Nice.

268
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:16,040
And I was just adding to, I think recently we got a lot of insight from educators about

269
00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:21,040
how these younger generation is very open to the opportunities beyond percentage.

270
00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:25,400
So that, you know, mentality, I think, is shifting a little bit with the younger generations,

271
00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:28,560
which is making the opportunity ripe, if you will.

272
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:34,640
I spent a lot of time studying Gen Z and Alpha trying to understand what their perspective

273
00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:36,680
is on education.

274
00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:42,800
And so I myself, I have a 18 year old and a 16 year old stepdaughters and they both

275
00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:43,880
have the same perspective.

276
00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:48,120
They both want to help change the world and make a difference.

277
00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,520
One has went to four year college.

278
00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:56,760
The other one has almost no interest, wants to do more of a, not that I don't know if

279
00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:02,880
she'll do trades or if it's going to be more like in the culinary, but something non-traditional,

280
00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:03,880
what we call non-traditional.

281
00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:06,800
Now it hasn't always been called non-traditional.

282
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:08,000
It used to be called essential.

283
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,000
Now we just call it non-traditional.

284
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,000
Right.

285
00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:15,720
But we have a generation that is looking at the world going, everyone says this is the

286
00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,360
thing that you should do.

287
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:18,360
Tell me why.

288
00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,160
They're challenging it.

289
00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:21,800
Yeah, that's exactly it.

290
00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:22,800
I think it's the coolest.

291
00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:28,600
I think that's what's making our industry right now so ripe for education and interest

292
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,920
is people are actually challenging the norm.

293
00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:31,920
Yeah.

294
00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:37,480
So I look around in this conference and I see people who in the industry are typically

295
00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:48,400
competitors and don't like to go to conferences and rub elbows here going, Hey, how you doing?

296
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:53,600
I know that we're selling products that are the same, but let's talk about education and

297
00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,120
what we can do together.

298
00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,640
And so we're taking stigmas and we're challenging them.

299
00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:01,720
And it's an interesting thing.

300
00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:07,200
I actually keep saying, I kind of like to be in a Gen Z because it's a good generation.

301
00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:12,480
Any opportunity for folks in the industry or companies within the industry to kind of

302
00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:13,840
partner on their aligned goals.

303
00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:21,280
I think everybody benefits from younger generations being interested in these quote unquote non-traditional

304
00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:22,280
careers.

305
00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:27,840
So yeah, I mean, I think it's a great opportunity for the industry as a whole to work together

306
00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:31,280
to help facilitate that change and that shift.

307
00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,560
I guess what we're doing.

308
00:15:33,560 --> 00:15:34,840
All right.

309
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:36,220
Well thank you so much for joining us.

310
00:15:36,220 --> 00:15:39,440
So a follow up, they're going to go to what website?

311
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:40,440
Explore the trades.org.

312
00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,520
And then you can find you on LinkedIn and all sorts of social media.

313
00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:49,680
That's where I catch up all the time and make that connection and see if they can help you

314
00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:51,320
make your own connections.

315
00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:53,080
All right, ladies, thank you so much.

316
00:15:53,080 --> 00:16:13,600
Thank you.