Los Angeles – September 29, 2026 -- Explore The Trades, a Minnesota-based nonprofit founded in 2005, has placed classroom poster kits reaching more than 1.3 million students since 2021 across over 3,400 U.S. school districts, roughly a quarter of the country, as part of a national push to rebuild the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical talent pipeline.
Public Television Feature Set to Film October 2 in Boca Raton
The organization will be profiled in an upcoming segment of "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia," a short-form documentary series distributed to Public Television stations nationwide. Filming is scheduled for October 2, 2026, at the program's Boca Raton, Florida studio, with the segment examining how the nonprofit works at the classroom level to reintroduce trades careers before students choose a path.
Skills Lab Program Has Equipped 53 Schools Across 21 States Since 2022
Backed by industry partners including plumbing and HVAC distributor Ferguson and the Comfort Systems USA Foundation, the Skills Lab Program has delivered equipment grants to 53 schools in 21 states over the past four years. Poster kits, produced in English and Spanish with a dedicated K-5 series, target students directly, while separate recruiting toolkits equip contractors, counselors, and career and technical education instructors who field questions from students and parents.
Founders Anticipated Today's Labor Shortage Two Decades Ago
Explore The Trades was started by residential home service contractors who reviewed labor forecasts in 2005 and moved to intervene before shop classes disappeared further from American schools. That coursework had been pushed aside in the early 2000s by a college-for-all consensus, and the shortage contractors predicted has since materialized, with projections showing it will persist for at least another decade.
Kate Cinnamo, Executive Director of Explore The Trades, said the industry wants students to associate the word "trades" with diagnostics, innovation, and entrepreneurship rather than outdated perceptions, framing the careers as continuums that can progress from apprentice to technician to business owner.
Federal CTE Investment Rises as Districts Reverse Earlier Cuts
School districts are restoring construction and trades coursework with support from increased federal funding for career and technical education. The work now involves diagnostics, connected equipment, energy modeling, and an expanding role for artificial intelligence in product design and service delivery, requirements that plumbing, HVAC, and electrical professionals will need to meet as demand for skilled installers of heating, water, and power systems continues to grow.