The Future of the Field: From trade school to the job site, the impact of technical education

Paul Tse, 30, isn’t afraid to admit that he wasn’t the best student in high school — he even told Congress. In May, Tse testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education as part of a push by the Associated Builders and Contractors to bolster spending for the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Training Act, which aims to improve technical training opportunities.

In his statement, Tse, who emigrated with his family from Hong Kong to Montgomery County, MD, in 1996, explained that enrolling in the HVAC program at the Thomas Edison High School of Technology, in Silver Spring, MD, gave him necessary direction. “Spending my mornings in a typical classroom and afternoons at Edison, I was introduced into the world of construction and the skilled trades,” he told Congress.

A few weeks before he graduated, Tse was offered a job as an apprentice with local contractor Shapiro & Duncan Mechanical Contractors, in Rockville, MD, attending the Air Conditioner Contractors of America apprenticeship program in the evenings. “Even before my peers packed up their cars and headed out for freshman move-in day, I accepted a [position] and got right to work,” he said in his statement.

We talked with Tse, today a project manager with Shapiro & Duncan, about how he’s forging a path in the industry, the role of technical education today and what it was like to share his story with Congress.

As your friends were heading off to two- and four-year colleges, what did you think of your decision to pursue a trade?

TSE: It was nerve-wracking. Everybody was going to go tour different colleges and talking about their campuses and so on. I had nothing to show for it. To me, I was taking a big risk. I wasn't sure what the road ahead was going to be like. Nobody had told me whether it was going to be easy or if it was going to be hard, or if I was going to have a decent-paying job. All those things were unknown to me.

What did your instructors say about the decision to go into the apprenticeship program?

TSE: My teachers were positive. They were all tradesmen who had retired or stopped working in the trade to become teachers. They were all like: "You can definitely get out of here and be able to find a job right away. That’s a skill set that's going to stick with you for the rest of your life."

What are some of the biggest takeaways from your four-year apprenticeship?

TSE: Showing up on time and being prepared for whatever you're doing that day, as well as your craftsmanship — putting pride in your work. Not only does that show to your mentors and your superiors but, at the end of the day, it also shows to your customer, which will reflect on how you do with your supervisors and your mentors. Also, being prepared to learn every single day. You have no idea what you're going to encounter on your next project or even the following day on the same project.

Can you describe the experience of testifying in front of Congress on the importance of technical training?

TSE: It was very scary. The opportunity came up randomly through the ABC. It was a normal day of work for me and then I got a phone call, which became a phone interview, which eventually evolved into going in front of the panel to testify. They were looking for a success story [for technical training programs].

 

Did you realize you were a “success story” before they told you?

TSE: Not really. I just think I'm a normal American who immigrated to the States and this is, to me, the American Dream. Starting out with next to nothing and getting that education you're looking for, getting out of your education without accruing debt and then having a normal life.

After the testimony, did you find that your position on the role of technical training and mentoring changed?

TSE: It did, a little bit. After everybody told me how they felt about my testimony, I was a little shocked because I didn't think I was doing anything special. I thought this was a normal path, and that's when I started hearing that a lot of these other people still have a bad taste in their mouth of looking at construction workers as blue collar, inappropriate, disrespectful, uneducated. But that’s not the reality. The path of going down a four-year technical program in lieu of a four-year or two-year college should be open to everyone, not just people who couldn't make it in school.

What kind of mentoring opportunities have been available to you?

TSE: I would consider myself extremely lucky in terms of having mentors in this trade. A couple of incredible individuals at Shapiro & Duncan have taught me from 75% to 80% of what I know today. They took my hand and showed me how to do the things in the field. And then whatever I did by hand during the day, I went into school at night [as a part of the apprenticeship program] to get a more technical explanation, which reinforced my background of this trade.

I was never the best student in high school, and going into the classroom made me cringe a little bit. But in this case, it was encouraging. It was different than my high school career because whatever I learned during the day by hand, I was getting the explanation that night. It was like two pieces of a puzzle and a light bulb coming on.

What do you think the industry could be doing better in terms of bring up younger people through the ranks?

TSE: Awareness and advertisement. Being able to explain to kids that being a construction worker [is a positive], that's step one. Step two would be having school systems be more open to having contractors go to their school to show kids that there are apprenticeship programs that they can go into and they're not going to owe anybody a dime and are getting a skill set that they can take anywhere.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

TSE: My hope is that I will still be here at Shapiro & Duncan, and for the most part doing something similar but maybe at a higher level, like looking at multiple projects at a time as a senior project manager or some type of project executive. But maybe 10 years is too soon. Maybe I need more time.

America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2016

America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2016

Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) has been identifying historically and culturally significant areas around the U.S. that are at risk of disappearing completely. Its intention has been to bring awareness to at-risk places in order to increase urgency and support for their preservation. This year highlights 11 sites that are each threatened in different ways, with an emphasis on urban areas in dire need of conservation efforts. In the past 29 years, the NTHP has helped save 270 sites, losing just less than five percent. From the effects of climate change to the threats of demolition, 2016's focused sites add to NTHP's expanding list of jeopardized locations that could be lost forever if action isn't taken.

Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin, Texas

Affectionately called "Muny," this civil rights landmark was the first municipal golf course that desegregated its players in 1951. The property's lease, jointly held by the City of Austin and the University of Texas, is now in limbo and could be the new site for commercial properties.
Azikiwe-Nkrumah Hall at Lincoln University in Lincoln, Pa.
Built in 1865, it is the oldest building on the Lincoln University campus—the first institution to grant degrees for higher education to male African American students. The now vacant and crumbling structure "faces an uncertain future," according to the NTHP.
Bears Ears in Southeastern Utah
This natural and national treasure holds 12,000 years of human history within its grounds. The 1.9-million-acre site is "home to cliff dwellings, prehistoric villages, and rock art panels of ancestral Puebloan peoples, as well as Ice Age hunting camps," according to the Grand Canyon Trust.

Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District in North Charleston, S.C.
As a pivotal Naval base during both World War I and II, this district served to treat injured soldiers coming back from Europe. Five of this historic district's buildings are now threatened with demolition in order to make way for a new rail line.

Delta Queen in Houma, La.
Built in 1925, Delta Queen is the last steam paddle-wheeler with overnight accommodations still running. Fans and preservationists continue to seek exemption from the Safety of Life at Sea Act , an international maritime treaty, in order for the steamboat to remain operational.

El Paso’s Chihuahuita and El Segundo Barrio Neighborhoods in El Paso, Texas
Both historic neighborhoods, known as the "Ellis Island of the Border," have played major roles in the cultivation of El Paso's cultural identity, which has a history of immigration. Now, homes and small businesses alike are faced with potential demolition plans due to lack of protection.

Historic Downtown Flemington in Flemington, N.J.
Home to the Union Hotel, built in 1877, the building served as the epicenter of the infamous Lindebergh Baby trial of 1935 as it was where press, officials, and individuals related to the trial were served. The town also houses three other buildings listed on the National Register of Historic places that could be demolished in favor for an 8-story mixed-use structure.

James River in James City County, Va.
The state of Virginia's largest river, once home to America's first permanent English settlement in 1607, could lose its picturesque charm due to a transmission line project by private utility company, Dominion Virginia Power.
Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee, Wis.
A jewel of Mid-century Modern architecture, these three domes each host different climates from around the world, as well as house flora fauna. The tropical and flower show domes are currently open to the public (with the desert dome expected to reopen in the next few weeks), but a special Mitchell Park Domes Task Force will help determine what comes next for these stunning structures, which are in need of significant repairs.
Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif.
The famous port of San Francisco is another coastal setting fallen victim to the globe's biggest danger: climate change. The earthquake-prone area also requires a stronger seawall to secure effective coastal resilience.
The Sunshine Mile in Tucson, Ariz.
Abundant in Mid-century Modern architecture, this two-mile-long stretch of quirky commercial buildings are now faced with possible demolition plans in order to make way for a city transportation project—a sad outcome for a street that once aimed to symbolize the "American Dream."

Engineering Facts

Building Amazing Facts

Check out our interesting building facts which feature a range of famous buildings and skyscrapers from aroundthe world.

Understand what makes these structures special, learn some cool facts and enjoy a range of fun trivia for kids.

The word skyscraper originally referred to a type of sail on a sailing ship.

A skyscraper is held together by a steel skeleton of vertical columns, horizontal girder beams and often diagonal beams for extra support. This structure distributes the immense weight in a way that ensures the integrity and safety of the building.

Restoration work in 1990 and 2001 shifted the Leaning Tower of Pisa back to an angle of 4 degrees after it was previously leaning at an angle of 5.5 degrees.

The roofs of the Sydney Opera House are covered in a total of 1056006 tiles.

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy, is an elliptical amphitheatre that was completed in 80 AD. It held around 50000 spectators and was used for a variety of events including gladiator contests, animal hunts and mythology based dramas.

Around 20000 workers helped build the Taj Mahal, a famous mausoleum and landmark in Agra, India, that attracts millions of visitors every year.

The world’s largest office building by floor size is the Pentagon in Virginia, USA, with over half of its 6500000 square foot (604000 square metre) floor area used as offices.

The Empire State Building in New York was the first building to have over 100 floors and was the tallest building in the world from 1931 until 1972.

The Chrysler Building in New York was built at a time when there was a strong desire to build the world’s tallest skyscraper, before being overtaken by the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building was the world’s tallest for around 11 months. During the construction, floors were being completed at a staggering four per week. Despite the rush, no workers died during its construction.

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are the world’s tallest twin buildings, standing at a height of 452 metres (1483 feet).

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, is the tallest building in the world. It reaches an amazing 828 metres (2717 feet) in height. Check out our top ten list of the tallest buildings in the world.

Tall buildings need fast elevators, recent developments have led to elevators that can travel up to, and sometimes over, 1000 metres a minute (3280 feet a minute).

Technical Education The Urgent Need Of The Hour

The purpose of education in engineering is to provide the learning required by students to become successful engineers – with technical expertise, social awareness, and a bias toward innovation.

This combined set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes is essential for strengthening productivity, entrepreneurship, and excellence in an environment that is increasingly based on technologically complex and sustainable products, processes, and systems. Simply put, it is imperative that we improve the quality and nature of undergraduate engineering education.

The answer could be buttressed through a combination of efforts by the student and the educational institution, with a more holistic approach in preparing the student to meet and match the employable skill sets demanded by the industry. There must be a clear comprehension of the purpose of higher education and employability. The institution should take an active role in nurturing the transformation that the student undergoes from school to undergraduate studies with a positive bias towards soft skills and the requirements of industry.

Taking cues from new age university skill-building methodologies, every student should make a 52 week plan each year – 10 -12 hours during each day and meticulously work on the schedules thus planned. It is mandatory that the student should self-introspect the plan vs achievement on a day-to-day basis and seek help from mentor and other good samaritans who could nurture and positively shape the student career.

Let us review a typical situation by getting into the shoes of a student:

Barring a few hours of classroom training the student is most often free and left to manage aimlessly the free hours.

Understanding the real purpose of going to college, it would be a good idea for the student to peep into the industry window – understand the industry demand and constantly prepare oneself to score ahead of peers, with superior skill building in technical knowledge, communication, presentation, and train to think creatively and innovate.

To conclude, learning is an everyday process, change remaining the only constant.
The ability to think in one’s shoes and endeavour in offering innovative solutions would be the key to scale the ladder.