Welcome to The Lost Art of the Skilled Trades, the ultimate podcast dedicated to celebrating and exploring the world of skilled trades. Hosted by Andrew Brown, a passionate advocate for the trades industry, this podcast is your go-to source for knowledge, inspiration, and practical advice. Andrew brings a unique perspective shaped by years of hands-on experience, entrepreneurial success, and a deep commitment to elevating the trades. Dive into the fascinating and ever-evolving world of skilled trades, where creativity, problem-solving, and dedication come together to build the world around us. From carpentry and HVAC systems to electricians, plumbers, millwrights, and beyond...
Latest episodes
-
14 min
The $240,000 Electrician: Who's Training the Next One?
Data center electricians are making big money. Andrew Brown asks who's training the next generation of electricians while the same experienced people get recruited from job to job.…
-
56 min
We Don't Need Data Center Electricians. We Need Electricians. | Concetta Defa
Concetta Defa, executive director of the Utah Building Trades Council, on why data center training has to build real electricians, not one-job installers.Tech companies are pouring…
-
27 min
Are We Building Careers in the Skilled Trades or Just Filling Jobs? | Julian Scadden
Julian Scadden, CEO of Nexstar Network, on why the trades need a clear path from technician to business owner, not just a pitch about six figures.Everyone says the trades pay well,…
-
56 min
Are Employers Ready for the Next Generation of Skilled Workers?
Jon Ward, CEO of Ward Vessel and Exchanger, on why welders quit in the first 90 days, how a "people first" culture actually gets built, and why your best welder is rarely your best…
-
12 min
The AI Data Center Boom Is Hiring Tradespeople, Is It Building Careers?
The AI and data center boom is creating a wave of new trade jobs for electricians, HVAC techs, and welders. Host Andrew Brown asks the real question: are we filling projects, or bu…
-
38 min
Inside IUPAT: Glazing Careers, Mentorship, and the Trade Nobody Talks About
Travis Nevins of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades explains what a glazier actually does, and why this skilled trade career is everywhere you look and almost no…
-
48 min
What Actually Makes an Apprenticeship Program Work
Andreas Brockmann of United Grinding built an apprenticeship program that now gets 400 applicants for 5 spots — and it starts apprentices with hand tools, not machines.Three years…
-
32 min
The 700,000 Mechanic Shortage No One's Talking About
Aircraft mechanic Joshua Borel of Chennault Aviation breaks down why the industry faces a 700,000-person shortage over the next 15 years — and how A&P techs build six-figure career…
-
31 min
You Don't Have a Hiring Problem. You Have a First 90 Days Problem.
Employee retention doesn't start with recruiting it starts with the first 90 days. Host Andrew Brown breaks down what construction and manufacturing leaders do differently to keep…
-
24 min
Fixing Helicopters for a Living: How Miyah Spade Started in Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance apprentice Miyah Spade of Canadian Helicopters breaks down what it really takes to keep planes and helicopters safely in the air — and why almost nobody knows…
-
52 min
The Trades Need Workers. So Why Can’t People Get Hired?
Jason Altmire and Riley Burr, co-authors of Trade Up, break down why the skilled trades pipeline is broken — and the fix isn't just more people, it's better retention.The math does…
-
25 min
What It Takes to Become a Female Aircraft Mechanic
Aviation maintenance technician Brianna De Armond breaks down what it really takes to become an aircraft mechanic — and why one signature on the paperwork can define an entire care…
-
34 min
Training 25,000 New Electricians in North Carolina with David Etzwiler
The electrician shortage is real: 10,000 retire each year, only 7,000 enter. Siemens Foundation CEO David Etzwiler is building a $9.25M solution.Meanwhile, 130,000 new electrical j…
-
30 min
Planes Can’t Fly Without Aircraft Mechanics — And We’re Running Out of Them with John Goglia
Aircraft maintenance technicians keep every plane in the sky — and half are about to retire. John Goglia, former NTSB board member, on what's at stake for aviation safety.United Ai…
-
26 min
Why Apprentices Quit in the First 30 Days with Glenda Rahn
Glenda Rahn, Director of Workforce Development at Merit Ontario, reveals why skilled trades companies lose new apprentices in the first 30 days — and what to do about it.Every cont…
-
41 min
Aircraft Mechanics Are in Massive Demand—Why Aren't More People Entering the Industry? | Bret Oestreich, AMFA
Aircraft maintenance technician Bret Oestreich on signing off 250 lives every night shift — and why aviation's most essential trade stays hidden.Every time you board a plane, someo…
-
38 min
Why Young Workers and Employers Can't Understand Each Other
Liam McComas is 25, works in construction, and believes Gen Z owes it to themselves—and the trades—to earn trust before expecting it.Most content about Gen Z in the workforce falls…
-
27 min
They Sign Off So You Can Take Off: Inside Aircraft Maintenance with Evita Garces
Aircraft maintenance technician Evie Garces climbed from Aviation High School to VP at American Airlines — now she's recruiting the next generation.A mother chaperoning a hangar to…
-
34 min
The Military-Style Trade School Changing the Workforce Game
Rob Holmes co-founded ForgeNow to solve America's skilled trades shortage — producing apprentice-level HVAC, electrical, and plumbing technicians in just 6 weeks.The average plumbe…
-
32 min
Why Aviation Maintenance Is the Next Generation's Best-Kept Career Secret | Jennifer Radtke, Boeing
Aviation maintenance is booming — and Boeing's Jennifer Radtke says the mechanic shortage now outpaces the pilot shortage for the first time in history.710,000 aviation technicians…