As the old saying goes your home is your castle. Whether you are building, improving, or just maintaining your home, many tradesmen or women will be assisting you to that end.  When such a valuable asset is being worked on by another, quality is one of your foremost concerns.  This quality comes from knowledge and experience in ones field as well as a certain amount of self respect and pride in ones work. Unfortunately, previous generations regarded these jobs with more respect, which has precipitated a collapse in the size of our younger labor pool.  “Over the past ten years construction workers in the 20-30 age group declined from 40.5 percent to 26.5 percent. The percentage of workers in the 41-50 age group increased from 18 to 26 percent”(1).

Labor drying up has made it so  “contractors of all sizes are on their own, forced to recruit and train on an individual basis. This is an ineffective process and cost prohibitive” (1).  In a time when fewer workers are entering the market the industry is poised for growth.  This gives employers fewer choices, causes them to settle for lower standards in workers and service, and allows competitors to gain market share who are willing to compromise service standards even further. “If companies want to fill their vacant positions, they might have to loosen up their hiring standards, too, said Jim Mize, manager of employer outreach at Pima County One-Stop Career Center”(5). Does this seem unfair for the consumer with their castle and the honest hard working Americans that have pride in their work?   

    Most high school students have no idea what one can earn by learning a trade, “A journeyman generally earns between $28 and $32 an hour (up to $64,000 a year)--a pretty nice wage for a 23-year-old. Most states require a plumber to have 2 to 10 years of experience at the apprentice level to qualify as a journeyman. My neighbor attended a trade school. He is a tool and die maker. He learned the skill in night classes. After spending time as an apprentice, he opened his own shop. It is now a multi-million dollar business” (3,4). A competent person learning a skilled trade can easily achieve the American dream.  We at 10 best Tucson are on a mission to find the best home service professionals in Tucson and share them with the community. By uniting community officials and business leaders under the common goal of higher quality trades in the labor pool, the ability for honest companies to grow without compromising their excellent service records will be achievable. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao recently announced her “Skills to Build America’s Future” initiative.  It “will reach out to a new generation of tradesmen and women and encourage them to use their skills and talents to find careers that will help to pave the way to a fulfilling career and bright financial future”  (Doleta).   

    This message must be made clear to the future of our local labor market and to current workers who are considering changing careers.  These skills that are currently cultivated  by a unique few are ones to be proud of, and can be quite lucrative as well.   Becoming a journeyman and with an entrepreneurial co-education or an enterprising spirit practically ensures an exalted status of financial wealth. These are pragmatic messages that must be presented to our youth. Our businesses can grow while maintaining their integrity and providing the absolute best possible service to home owners and customers.  They deserve it.  Keep a watchful eye on this topic. 10 best Tucson will be the catalyst for change.

-Todd Cuson 

 Todd Cuson is an experienced qualification officer for 10 best Tucson and has a Masters degree in Organizational Management.   

10bestTucson.com is a resource for builders, tradesmen and homeowners in Tucson, Arizona.   

Article Source: 

1. Louis J. Coletti, Workforce development needs for industry are great, Real Estate Weekly, Feb 23, 2005.

2. Ilana Mercer, U.S. Jobs: Reach for the Stars e or a Hammer, Insight on the News, May 11, 2004.

3. Billijo Saffold and Bobbi Aschwanden Thomas, Should high schools prepare all students for college?, NEA Today, November 2005.

4. Susan Sales Harkins, Plumb perfect: sure, drains and pipes can be messy-but plumbing has plenty of rewards, Career World, September 2005.

5. Shelley Shelton, Local companies find tight market for workers, Arizona Daily Star, September 02, 2007. 

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written by sam , October 15, 2007

very interesting read.. if this continues people will be making more money on fixing a pipe then being a lawyer

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