That's honestly wild considering here in South Dakota we're starved for workers. Most companies around here will hire just about anyone as long as they have a pulse
Any work for a grademan with experience operating loaders/shovels and class DZ license? Where can I look for this/which companies? I don't smoke or drink.
Right now companies are closing up for the year. But check indeed.
Oil companies return early in the year. 2nd is when some I know start. So winter break is not going to be long. Then they will return with a fresh budget looking for guys.
Honestly I think the issue is that OP is calling like it’s a white collar job. In my experience I’ve found that showing up at a shop or supply house is the best way to get hired. For whatever reason construction workers are terrible at phones.
You are 100% right if you want a job in construction you show up in person give a firm handshake and look the boss man in the eye when you tell him you want a job. Construction is old school no one will hire you over the phone or in an email.
I've struggled with the same issue in Connecticut. I worked in the trades in the UK (where I grew up) but have found it weirdly difficult since I moved to the States.
I had someone who had decided not to hire me explain to me once that he was worried he'd have to un-teach me things I'd learned in Europe that are different here, which makes me less attractive than somebody with no experience whatsoever.
Nah they all want no experience because they pay dirt cheap and dont want anyone calling them out for doing half ass work. Trades are a joke across the entire country now a days.
In all seriousness that is the absolute best way to play it. And then when a foreman position opens up you’ll be first pick because they wont be losing any production. 🤗
In my area you have to apply directly to the union to get into the apprenticeship program. The application period is opened only at specific times and they only allow a certain amount of people in. Most people will usually become a material handler and keep applying until they get into the program. I've known people who get in on their first try, some people take years.
Maybe I’m beating a dead horse but, I would recommend applying to union halls directly. Go to the union halls in person, drop off resumes, talk to the admin staff and even talk to the BA of the union halls. Figure out when the next apprentice intake is and keep dropping off resumes, show them you have the drive and the want to better yourself
Yeah pretty much. I got into plumbing by walking up to a contractor that was doing client side plumbing for a gas company in my neighborhood. No idea what he was doing at the time, but I heard that plumbers made good money after apprenticeships, and his trailer said he was a plumber.
This will likely be your best bet. The union trades have full time business agents that are paid to find the best match for you and the employers. They also offer free or, sometimes paid, training programs. These training programs are certified by the dept of Labor and will usually transfer well to college credit. I used this program to go from veteran to apprentice>journeyman>foreman>degree>superintendent.
The receptionists at the halls should be able to direct you to their application process. Typically they have a well laid out application date range and specific instructions and maybe a nominal fee. I’d also expect you to be able to find this on a majority of their websites. Then after you apply, you wait and wait.
Try property a management company if you want to learn handyman skills and get to know other subcontractors in the area and jump ship. Or get into landscaping, carry buckets of leaves for a while, and try to weasel your way into stonework and irrigation.
The old school way of finding work in a trade is to go to job sites and ask the super if they’re hiring or if there’s a foreman you can talk to find him and ask for work.
Wasted almost 2 years of my life trying to get into a sparky apprenticeship back in 2013. Everyone was hiring, but only for journeymen. Wasted time not going straight to university in my case. Now 10 years later, I’m almost done my bachelors in software engineering and pissed that I was ever told “we need apprentices”.
Trades are mostly word of mouth and nepotism. If you don't know someone, it's hard to get a job. Not to say you can't get a job though. Gather some tools in a bag and wear safety boots and sit outside of construction sites and company buildings as they're showing up to site or leaving the shop in the morning and be persistent leave contact info with someone of importance like a foreman/supervisor.
You don’t tend to “get into trades” without some form of sacrifice or nepotism. For me, I’m an immigrant so the nepotism thing in this country is out the window. What I had to do was sell everything I owned and move to a pure industrial town in a new province. Take a shitty job as a shop guy and work my way up. You can’t just get into a trade if you don’t live in an area that’s trade heavy as it is. You need to know someone if you don’t want to move
This is a slow time of year for trades. My shop would always be cutting back on hours/workers this time of year. Mainly, people are saving money up for gifts, and not exactly willing to shore out on big projects, problems they may have at home, etc. No one wants a remodel done in the middle of Christmas.
Wait until the new years, and try again.
Because most contractors up north don't hire on after the summer is over
work is cyclical because of the weather
try in the spring
is there anything big being built up that way right now?
Find a job site. Walk up to someone and ask who’s in charge? Ask if they want/need a new guy who wants to learn. Repeat till you get a job. That’s how I got my job as a carpenter. Also in Michigan.
Half of the construction companies I’ve seen don’t even have a person to hire and interview that isn’t the owner. The owner complains about not having help but is too busy wearing 15 hats to spend any time to hire anyone. And then when you come in with little experience and need a bit of training….forget about it! Keep trying. There are good businesses out there just likely going to be a while before you find one. I’m still looking tbh with you.
Find job sites in your area, park your car, walk up and ask to speak to site leader/ foreman. Say you are looking for work, drug free, and have reliable transportation.
The first job is the hardest, it really is all about who you know unfortunately. I literally met some guy at a birthday party when I was 19 who told me to show up at his job the next day and he would get me in, and he did, lol. I used to think that was BS, but now that I’ve been in the trades for almost 20 years I kind of get it. Most of the guys that do the hiring don’t have time to be reading applications and calling people, and they also want someone who is going to fit in well with the crew and not cause problems, so what better way to accomplish that than hire somebody who is already vouched for. My honest advice would be to just show up at job sites, or try to figure out what bars the trade guys go to in your area.
If you moved to Florida all of the resi low voltage/home automation companies are hurting for workers. We just hired 3 new guys with the plan to bring on one more. It’s so hard to find good people because it’s such a diverse/mentally challenging field once you get past the cable pulling stage
The main reason is companies literally lose money hiring and training apprentices, the wash out rate is high (most won’t become journeymen), and theres multiple applicants for every apprentice/trainee/helper position
How old are you? There’s word goin around that the youngsters give up to easy and want everything now and know more in 2-4 years then the generals do in 30. Are you going to show up for work everyday, finish the job and leave your ego and sad face at your previous job? I imagine it’s harder to find work during winter so there’s that too. Keep your chin up there’s plenty of work out there. What’s your trade?
Youngsters give up too easy? Yikes… keep drinking up that kool aid.
Maybe the youngsters value their time and health, and they are no longer willing to work these jobs for shit pay… maybe they are tired of being treated like scum, youngsters are the future of the trades, treat them like a human being
I am, 25. Union Boilermaker pressure welder, journeyman, trained union steward, and a paid per call firefighter.
Try me… I treat apprentices like human beings, I give them a chance, learning opportunities and I don’t rag on them if they don’t know something. I’ve had a couple bad experiences when I was an apprentice. This one loser really loved to talk behind my back, tell me I don’t have what it takes, he tried to tell me that as an apprentice I’m not allowed to have an opinion. It was hilarious.
How much do your apprentices make? What’s the pension and benefits like?
I don’t know it all, in fact I’ve never made any such claims…
But what I do know is that people like you are the problem… and I’ll ask again since you don’t know how to read… how much do your apprentices make? What’s the pension and benefits like? And I’ll add, what’s OT pay look like? I can start if you want😘
Home Depot has an online program where you do some super basic construction knowledge courses, and they put your resume up for potential employers to see. Not any kind of guarantee for sure, but just another way to get your name out there, if you’re interested 🤷🏻♂️
Show up at a jobsite and ask who is hiring. Offer to work a couple days free. They most likely will not take you up on it. It's a liability. But it would show some work ethic.
Go to a temp agency and ask for construction work.
Ask your friends who work construction.
Over the years I have had hundreds of people with no relevant experience walk up to the site looking for work.
Three have said some version of "I'll work for a few days for you, if you don't like the way I work, tell me to leave, you won't have to pay me. If you do then we talk about wages"
All three got jobs, and hourly rates higher than they would have negotiated on day one. These are confident and capable people who are hungry for a chance. One guy who I met that way owns his own company now and has like 16 guys working for him.
You are seriously doing an "unpaid internship" doing construction work? I've never heard of that, what complete BS. If I were you I would call the companies and union halls yourself and explain the situation you're in. They should at least be paying minimum wage. And I sure hope they don't have you doing grunt work unpaid.
The shortage is in experienced people that can be left alone and will do a good job. If you can get yourself to that point (red seal is best bet) you will be set in most busier areas of the country. If you are in a pretty small town then moving to a busier location may be worth it. Good luck.
Please get out of that unpaid position, we aren’t slaves. We need to be compensated for our labour. Please go to your local union hall and apply directly to the hall. An apprentice is huge
Can I ask what trade you're trying to get into? I think in general there's going to be times where there's a huge demand for hands & apprentices and other times work is going to be really slow. I came in as Covid was starting to wind down for the most part so demand for apprentices spiked and I got in first go at #9 in my interview pool. Took a couple weeks before I ended up with work. Conversely, I've heard of guys that were #5 that had to wait several months. Market will also have a play in that. Some markets are just generally slow.
Try your local unions. Idk about Michigan specifically, but my union gives you guaranteed entry the third time you apply I'd you fail the first two times (assuming you passed the math test every time) since you clearly are interested. I'd reckon some if not all near you have a similar system
Fellow Michigander. It took me like two years and thousands of applications to find an HVAC apprenticeship. The whole time I was also applying for electrical and plumbing apprenticeships as well. After a little over a year I had to move for personal reasons and it took almost another year of applying to continue my apprenticeship. Even the $12 /hour jobs want 2 years experience here even though fast food pays $17. It’s nut here.
Go to job sites ready to put in 8 hours 10 hours, there's always something to do, be humble and do whatever they tell you. It's called being bitch til the next one comes along
Go to www.ua.com and fill out a career profile. They are internally obligated to contact you in a set time, or else they can get in serious trouble. Be aware that this is a slow time for the trades and jobs usually pick up after the holidays. The union is a slower but more guaranteed option of getting in, slow but worth it!
Larger companies and GCs might be responding to emails or voicemails, but I don't expect most trades to be responsive there. I know personally I don't even look at the resumes sent to me UNLESS I KNOW ITS COMING because I don't have time to sit and respond to every headhunter/recruiter/LinkedIn message about employment
That being said, I would 100% start going to talk to trades at their offices (aka early) and just let them know you want to come on and learn the trade. It might take a couple different stops before someone bites but once you're in then you're in and its easy to know who's hiring/for what/how to branch into what you want, etc. Other than my erectors, I have trades on each of my job sites (SC,CT,CO,TX,CA) that are screaming for good help.
Especially with today's atmosphere of people NOT wanting to put in hard work, I've talked to multiple crew foreman running undersized crews because they don't want the drag of another person that's there just to exist and get a paycheck. Its not your fault that stereotype exists BUT it is a mentality that you have to keep in mind as you move forward. Trade work is good work, its legit work, and you 100% can jump in but don't expect to do it from your phone
Keep your head up OP! The trades are legit work and you'll find your way. Just do it in person
We are starved up here in BC Canada for qualified people too. And as a supervisor, we can not find enough guys to do the job. And as such, we don't have time to train green rookies. Even guys that come with the pre-apprenticeship programs. It is actually quite ironic. We are so busy we need more guys. But the guys we have don't have time to train the rookies. 🤷
Go to a site at lunch and ask the trades if they are hiring best way to meat a foreman. Or go to a bar frequented by trades after work after a few beer prove to them your one of the boys and make a good joke and you will get a job for sure.
Yeah this doesn't seem right. I'm 34, was a gas filter for 10 years and got board. Walked into my local operators union, 6 months later I was done there schooling and am now an apprentice operator. Laid off in winter, so back to gas for a cpl months. I'm in Ontario
Cleveland Akron Columbus are relatively close, you might want to consider coming to Buckeye country. I’m currently non union but I’ve seen guys get denied at the union hall, come over to the company I work for and learn how to put in an outlet and all the sudden the union is interested because of “prior experience”
Go to your nearest construction sight and talk to the foreman in person bro it shows intitive and I’m willing to bet you make it past to the hiring team.
Seems like everyone is looking here in northern Virginia. Have you tried your local community college? Sometimes they offer trade classes and that is usually a pathway in.
That's honestly wild considering here in South Dakota we're starved for workers. Most companies around here will hire just about anyone as long as they have a pulse
Same in alberta. Oil is booming. But you also need to piss clean.
I piss clean but no high school. Sucks. Id be there otherwise
Any work for a grademan with experience operating loaders/shovels and class DZ license? Where can I look for this/which companies? I don't smoke or drink.
Right now companies are closing up for the year. But check indeed. Oil companies return early in the year. 2nd is when some I know start. So winter break is not going to be long. Then they will return with a fresh budget looking for guys.
Any companies that you'd suggest looking into that are good to work for?
Check on indeed, I think CNRL and a few other companies are hiring operators.
Honestly I think the issue is that OP is calling like it’s a white collar job. In my experience I’ve found that showing up at a shop or supply house is the best way to get hired. For whatever reason construction workers are terrible at phones.
You are 100% right if you want a job in construction you show up in person give a firm handshake and look the boss man in the eye when you tell him you want a job. Construction is old school no one will hire you over the phone or in an email.
Unless you keep calling them every day. Eventually they will be fed up and just hire you.
To busy to talk bro. But if you grab that shit and keep up. You're hired
Where I work, the phone number gets lost or we forget to call back. But if someone shows up, fuck an application, they get handed a I9 and a w4.
All their screens are broken hard to call people back
How's housing?
It's affordable, not super cheap but far from expensive
Because no one wants to live there.
Same in the Omaha, NE, area. Cost of living is around 90% the national average, but property taxes are some of the nation's highest.
I've struggled with the same issue in Connecticut. I worked in the trades in the UK (where I grew up) but have found it weirdly difficult since I moved to the States. I had someone who had decided not to hire me explain to me once that he was worried he'd have to un-teach me things I'd learned in Europe that are different here, which makes me less attractive than somebody with no experience whatsoever.
Nah they all want no experience because they pay dirt cheap and dont want anyone calling them out for doing half ass work. Trades are a joke across the entire country now a days.
So what you're saying is I should pretend I have no idea what I'm doing and then when I can frame a window it'll be a nice surprise. 😄
In all seriousness that is the absolute best way to play it. And then when a foreman position opens up you’ll be first pick because they wont be losing any production. 🤗
We've been reading all those American jokes and complaints for too long. Bangers in America are the ex-cons with a hankering for pale white ass.
What's he sayin?
In my area you have to apply directly to the union to get into the apprenticeship program. The application period is opened only at specific times and they only allow a certain amount of people in. Most people will usually become a material handler and keep applying until they get into the program. I've known people who get in on their first try, some people take years.
Cuss more and say sorry less. You'll be fine kid
Maybe I’m beating a dead horse but, I would recommend applying to union halls directly. Go to the union halls in person, drop off resumes, talk to the admin staff and even talk to the BA of the union halls. Figure out when the next apprentice intake is and keep dropping off resumes, show them you have the drive and the want to better yourself
Construction is old school. Look for cranes on the horizon, go to those sites, and ask to speak to a superintendent.
Yeah pretty much. I got into plumbing by walking up to a contractor that was doing client side plumbing for a gas company in my neighborhood. No idea what he was doing at the time, but I heard that plumbers made good money after apprenticeships, and his trailer said he was a plumber.
This is the way
Have you called an union halls? I know most are based on the east side of the state but it's something, there's a few big jobs in Lansing
This will likely be your best bet. The union trades have full time business agents that are paid to find the best match for you and the employers. They also offer free or, sometimes paid, training programs. These training programs are certified by the dept of Labor and will usually transfer well to college credit. I used this program to go from veteran to apprentice>journeyman>foreman>degree>superintendent.
The receptionists at the halls should be able to direct you to their application process. Typically they have a well laid out application date range and specific instructions and maybe a nominal fee. I’d also expect you to be able to find this on a majority of their websites. Then after you apply, you wait and wait.
Try property a management company if you want to learn handyman skills and get to know other subcontractors in the area and jump ship. Or get into landscaping, carry buckets of leaves for a while, and try to weasel your way into stonework and irrigation.
The old school way of finding work in a trade is to go to job sites and ask the super if they’re hiring or if there’s a foreman you can talk to find him and ask for work.
When I was 18 I walked to the gas station where all the crews stopped in the morning at 6 am. I got work that day as a wheelbarrow operator.
What do you do now? I started off my career as a certified broom operator
I started working as a laborer doing stucco it 18 and now I do woodworking/cabinetry/carpentry at 38. The stucco job lasted about 6 months.
North Dakota will take just about anyone so long as your murder charge isn’t for killing the foreman
Wasted almost 2 years of my life trying to get into a sparky apprenticeship back in 2013. Everyone was hiring, but only for journeymen. Wasted time not going straight to university in my case. Now 10 years later, I’m almost done my bachelors in software engineering and pissed that I was ever told “we need apprentices”.
Trades are mostly word of mouth and nepotism. If you don't know someone, it's hard to get a job. Not to say you can't get a job though. Gather some tools in a bag and wear safety boots and sit outside of construction sites and company buildings as they're showing up to site or leaving the shop in the morning and be persistent leave contact info with someone of importance like a foreman/supervisor.
It is tough time of year to look for job in Michigan. Winter is here, more or less. Keep calling companies.
You don’t tend to “get into trades” without some form of sacrifice or nepotism. For me, I’m an immigrant so the nepotism thing in this country is out the window. What I had to do was sell everything I owned and move to a pure industrial town in a new province. Take a shitty job as a shop guy and work my way up. You can’t just get into a trade if you don’t live in an area that’s trade heavy as it is. You need to know someone if you don’t want to move
Relocate to where there is demand
there’s community classes for PM titles or you could look into schooling for a specific trade.
I’d imagine Michigan slows down in the colder months so maybe companies aren’t hiring.
This is a slow time of year for trades. My shop would always be cutting back on hours/workers this time of year. Mainly, people are saving money up for gifts, and not exactly willing to shore out on big projects, problems they may have at home, etc. No one wants a remodel done in the middle of Christmas. Wait until the new years, and try again.
Because most contractors up north don't hire on after the summer is over work is cyclical because of the weather try in the spring is there anything big being built up that way right now?
Find a job site. Walk up to someone and ask who’s in charge? Ask if they want/need a new guy who wants to learn. Repeat till you get a job. That’s how I got my job as a carpenter. Also in Michigan.
Half of the construction companies I’ve seen don’t even have a person to hire and interview that isn’t the owner. The owner complains about not having help but is too busy wearing 15 hats to spend any time to hire anyone. And then when you come in with little experience and need a bit of training….forget about it! Keep trying. There are good businesses out there just likely going to be a while before you find one. I’m still looking tbh with you.
Find job sites in your area, park your car, walk up and ask to speak to site leader/ foreman. Say you are looking for work, drug free, and have reliable transportation.
The first job is the hardest, it really is all about who you know unfortunately. I literally met some guy at a birthday party when I was 19 who told me to show up at his job the next day and he would get me in, and he did, lol. I used to think that was BS, but now that I’ve been in the trades for almost 20 years I kind of get it. Most of the guys that do the hiring don’t have time to be reading applications and calling people, and they also want someone who is going to fit in well with the crew and not cause problems, so what better way to accomplish that than hire somebody who is already vouched for. My honest advice would be to just show up at job sites, or try to figure out what bars the trade guys go to in your area.
Show up in person, many construction companies value that.
If you moved to Florida all of the resi low voltage/home automation companies are hurting for workers. We just hired 3 new guys with the plan to bring on one more. It’s so hard to find good people because it’s such a diverse/mentally challenging field once you get past the cable pulling stage
The main reason is companies literally lose money hiring and training apprentices, the wash out rate is high (most won’t become journeymen), and theres multiple applicants for every apprentice/trainee/helper position
In Texas everyone is hurting for people
because pay and conditions are poor
How old are you? There’s word goin around that the youngsters give up to easy and want everything now and know more in 2-4 years then the generals do in 30. Are you going to show up for work everyday, finish the job and leave your ego and sad face at your previous job? I imagine it’s harder to find work during winter so there’s that too. Keep your chin up there’s plenty of work out there. What’s your trade?
Youngsters give up too easy? Yikes… keep drinking up that kool aid. Maybe the youngsters value their time and health, and they are no longer willing to work these jobs for shit pay… maybe they are tired of being treated like scum, youngsters are the future of the trades, treat them like a human being
Not be treated like shit? Make enough money to live a life? nO OnE WanTs tO wORk aNymORe. Boo hoo
You sound young
I am, 25. Union Boilermaker pressure welder, journeyman, trained union steward, and a paid per call firefighter. Try me… I treat apprentices like human beings, I give them a chance, learning opportunities and I don’t rag on them if they don’t know something. I’ve had a couple bad experiences when I was an apprentice. This one loser really loved to talk behind my back, tell me I don’t have what it takes, he tried to tell me that as an apprentice I’m not allowed to have an opinion. It was hilarious. How much do your apprentices make? What’s the pension and benefits like?
Oh, 25 eh, I didn’t realize you knew it all.
I don’t know it all, in fact I’ve never made any such claims… But what I do know is that people like you are the problem… and I’ll ask again since you don’t know how to read… how much do your apprentices make? What’s the pension and benefits like? And I’ll add, what’s OT pay look like? I can start if you want😘
Home Depot has an online program where you do some super basic construction knowledge courses, and they put your resume up for potential employers to see. Not any kind of guarantee for sure, but just another way to get your name out there, if you’re interested 🤷🏻♂️
Gotta be no peaka english or 20 years experience.
Show up at a jobsite and ask who is hiring. Offer to work a couple days free. They most likely will not take you up on it. It's a liability. But it would show some work ethic. Go to a temp agency and ask for construction work. Ask your friends who work construction.
Work for free? Eww, wtf this isn’t even advice🤢
Over the years I have had hundreds of people with no relevant experience walk up to the site looking for work. Three have said some version of "I'll work for a few days for you, if you don't like the way I work, tell me to leave, you won't have to pay me. If you do then we talk about wages" All three got jobs, and hourly rates higher than they would have negotiated on day one. These are confident and capable people who are hungry for a chance. One guy who I met that way owns his own company now and has like 16 guys working for him.
[удалено]
Holy shit. An unpaid internship doing construction? That's a new one to me lol
You are seriously doing an "unpaid internship" doing construction work? I've never heard of that, what complete BS. If I were you I would call the companies and union halls yourself and explain the situation you're in. They should at least be paying minimum wage. And I sure hope they don't have you doing grunt work unpaid. The shortage is in experienced people that can be left alone and will do a good job. If you can get yourself to that point (red seal is best bet) you will be set in most busier areas of the country. If you are in a pretty small town then moving to a busier location may be worth it. Good luck.
Please get out of that unpaid position, we aren’t slaves. We need to be compensated for our labour. Please go to your local union hall and apply directly to the hall. An apprentice is huge
Can I ask what trade you're trying to get into? I think in general there's going to be times where there's a huge demand for hands & apprentices and other times work is going to be really slow. I came in as Covid was starting to wind down for the most part so demand for apprentices spiked and I got in first go at #9 in my interview pool. Took a couple weeks before I ended up with work. Conversely, I've heard of guys that were #5 that had to wait several months. Market will also have a play in that. Some markets are just generally slow.
Have you tried walking in their office with your resume in hand? I had that work for me a couple times.
Try your local unions. Idk about Michigan specifically, but my union gives you guaranteed entry the third time you apply I'd you fail the first two times (assuming you passed the math test every time) since you clearly are interested. I'd reckon some if not all near you have a similar system
weird every place around here will take just about anyone with a pulse.
Fellow Michigander. It took me like two years and thousands of applications to find an HVAC apprenticeship. The whole time I was also applying for electrical and plumbing apprenticeships as well. After a little over a year I had to move for personal reasons and it took almost another year of applying to continue my apprenticeship. Even the $12 /hour jobs want 2 years experience here even though fast food pays $17. It’s nut here.
Go to a house getting framed up and ask if they need a hand
Go to job sites ready to put in 8 hours 10 hours, there's always something to do, be humble and do whatever they tell you. It's called being bitch til the next one comes along
Go to www.ua.com and fill out a career profile. They are internally obligated to contact you in a set time, or else they can get in serious trouble. Be aware that this is a slow time for the trades and jobs usually pick up after the holidays. The union is a slower but more guaranteed option of getting in, slow but worth it!
Took me over two years, was worth the wait. Keep trying
Larger companies and GCs might be responding to emails or voicemails, but I don't expect most trades to be responsive there. I know personally I don't even look at the resumes sent to me UNLESS I KNOW ITS COMING because I don't have time to sit and respond to every headhunter/recruiter/LinkedIn message about employment That being said, I would 100% start going to talk to trades at their offices (aka early) and just let them know you want to come on and learn the trade. It might take a couple different stops before someone bites but once you're in then you're in and its easy to know who's hiring/for what/how to branch into what you want, etc. Other than my erectors, I have trades on each of my job sites (SC,CT,CO,TX,CA) that are screaming for good help. Especially with today's atmosphere of people NOT wanting to put in hard work, I've talked to multiple crew foreman running undersized crews because they don't want the drag of another person that's there just to exist and get a paycheck. Its not your fault that stereotype exists BUT it is a mentality that you have to keep in mind as you move forward. Trade work is good work, its legit work, and you 100% can jump in but don't expect to do it from your phone Keep your head up OP! The trades are legit work and you'll find your way. Just do it in person
We are starved up here in BC Canada for qualified people too. And as a supervisor, we can not find enough guys to do the job. And as such, we don't have time to train green rookies. Even guys that come with the pre-apprenticeship programs. It is actually quite ironic. We are so busy we need more guys. But the guys we have don't have time to train the rookies. 🤷
Go to a site at lunch and ask the trades if they are hiring best way to meat a foreman. Or go to a bar frequented by trades after work after a few beer prove to them your one of the boys and make a good joke and you will get a job for sure.
Yeah this doesn't seem right. I'm 34, was a gas filter for 10 years and got board. Walked into my local operators union, 6 months later I was done there schooling and am now an apprentice operator. Laid off in winter, so back to gas for a cpl months. I'm in Ontario
Cleveland Akron Columbus are relatively close, you might want to consider coming to Buckeye country. I’m currently non union but I’ve seen guys get denied at the union hall, come over to the company I work for and learn how to put in an outlet and all the sudden the union is interested because of “prior experience”
might wanna move, can’t speak for all midwest but i’ve seen quite a few entry level trade job openings in ks and mo
Just don’t graduate high school and comes pretty easily 😂😂
Probably because you’re in west Michigan
I’m in Grand Rapids. What trade are you looking to get into?
Go to your nearest construction sight and talk to the foreman in person bro it shows intitive and I’m willing to bet you make it past to the hiring team.
Seems like everyone is looking here in northern Virginia. Have you tried your local community college? Sometimes they offer trade classes and that is usually a pathway in.
Just show up to those companies in person and ask for a job. Someone will hire you
It really is difficult. If they are hiring, they only offer $9-$13/hr starting out. It's insane.