World Plumbing Day: Reflecting on Progress and Opportunities in the Skilled Trades by Vinny Arnese

I proudly wear the title of “girl dad.”

I’m raising my girls to stand up for themselves and flourish. I want them to understand they can achieve anything they aspire to. This is a whole different world from what I grew up in, and it's clear that things have changed for the better.

We’re living in a time of great opportunity, regardless of gender.?People are more capable and encouraged to pursue what they’re passionate about, what they’re interested in, and what they were previously told were not appropriate careers.

And today, on World Plumbing Day, I’d like to advocate for one career path in particular - the skilled trades. After all, what better time to talk about the importance of plumbers in protecting public health and our environment?

I’ve worked with countless individuals in the plumbing industry throughout my career, and if there is any group of individuals that deserves a day of recognition, it is them. Because too often, the work that plumbing professionals do goes unnoticed, unappreciated, or both.

Can you imagine a world without plumbers?

Without people that check our water infrastructure? to make sure we can safely drink from our faucet? Without anyone properly managing sewage systems?

We often say at LIXIL that plumbers protect the health of our nation, and they truly do. They are the first line of defense for maintaining safe sanitation and hygiene in our communities.?

Although their importance is clear, currently there is a shortage of over 500,000 plumbers in the United States. And at LIXIL, we’re trying to change that.

One of the many ways is through our TradeUp program, where we directly connect? with aspiring plumbers at vocational schools all over the United States. We give them products to work with and train them on installation, repair and servicing. And we use it as an opportunity to properly educate the next generation on the benefits of working in the trades.

Too often, students think that college is the only option for them. But every person is different, and there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all career path.

The trades offer people the opportunity to work with their hands, make a direct impact on their community, and set up their future without worrying about student loans.

After years of traveling and meeting with students in schools all over the country, I’m so happy to say that I am finally starting to see a change. Previously empty classrooms now have a waiting list, with instructors turning aspiring students away because they don’t have enough space for all of the applicants.

These are GREAT problems to have - and I see so much opportunity to further expand and meet the needs of the next generation of plumbers.

And there is no bigger opportunity than addressing the elephant in the room - the fact that 95% of these aspiring plumbers are male. Because while the perception is changing, prejudice and stereotypes remain. Too many think that these are not jobs for women. But in today’s world, there’s no such thing.

I think about Judaline Cassidy and the great folks at Tools and Tiaras Inc. , who are making in-roads for girls to learn about the trades and teaching everyone that jobs don’t have genders.

As one of the first women to be a licensed plumber in New York, she is an inspiration to any individual pursuing their passion and breaking down the barriers that lie in their way.?

Plumbing is for everyone - the army veteran looking to change careers, the young adult who knew the classroom wasn’t the right fit, or even my daughters who love to get their hands dirty.

And on World Plumbing Day, we celebrate them all.

Vinny Arnese is a National Sales Trainer & Leader of TradeUp Outreach at LIXIL. Vinny's LIXIL tenure began 21 years ago working on the customer service team at American Standard. Vinny and the training team began the TradeUp initiative in 2017 to help help mitigate the labor shortage in the skilled trades. To learn more about TradeUp, you can connect with Vinny on LinkedIn and follow LIXIL for more content.