A four-year degree is not the only route to a rewarding career. Chuck Gillespie explains how Indiana high school students can explore plumbing and HVAC through graduation pathways, work-based learning, and pre-apprenticeship programs.
Why should high school students consider plumbing and HVAC?
High school students are often asked what comes next. While many people present a four-year degree as the only option, Chuck Gillespie explains that every student can have a different pathway to success.
For some students, that pathway may be the plumbing or HVAC profession. These trades are more than jobs; they are professions that help keep Indiana running.
How can Indiana's graduation pathways support a trades career?
Indiana offers pathways connected to the high school diploma. Gillespie highlights the Employment Seal for students planning to enter the workforce or a trade apprenticeship directly after high school.
His overview connects preparation for this pathway with career-focused classes, industry credentials, and work-based learning. These are opportunities for students to connect school with preparation for the workforce.
What skills can help students succeed in the trades?
Students who enjoy working with their hands, do not mind being outdoors, and like seeing what they have built at the end of the day may already have qualities that fit the trades.
The work also requires strong thinking skills. Plumbing and HVAC involve geometry, the physics of water flow, thermodynamics, math, and problem-solving.
Tradespeople solve complex puzzles on job sites every day. Students who are good at math and enjoy solving problems can thrive in this type of work.
Where can a plumbing or HVAC career lead?
A student can begin as an apprentice and continue developing in several directions. Someone may stay in the field and master the craft or use industry experience as a foundation for owning a company.
Students do not need to have every step figured out today. Gillespie encourages them to look for pre-apprenticeship programs at their schools and explore a professional trade that can support a lifelong career.
“Don't just look for a job. Look for a professional trade. It's a foundation you can build a whole life on.”
Chuck Gillespie
What should students know before exploring the trades?
Can a student start preparing for a plumbing or HVAC career in high school?
Yes. Chuck Gillespie encourages Indiana students to explore career-focused classes, work-based learning, and pre-apprenticeship programs available through their schools.
What academic skills are useful in plumbing and HVAC?
The recording identifies geometry, math, the physics of water flow, thermodynamics, and problem-solving as important parts of the work.
What career options can an apprenticeship create?
An apprentice may continue working in the field and master the craft or use industry experience as a path toward owning a company.
