SupplyHouse.com, an online retailer specializing in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies, has announced the 10 recipients of its 2025 Track to the Trades Scholarship — now in its second year. The program, run in partnership with nonprofit Bold.org, saw a 70% increase in applications nationwide this year, reflecting growing interest in vocational and technical careers.
Winners come from across the U.S. — from Illinois to Georgia to New York — and will receive financial support for training-related expenses, including tuition, tools, certification costs, and other expenses linked to starting careers in the trades.
“This year’s winners demonstrated impressive determination and a clear commitment to building successful futures in the trades,” said Christine Boehm, communications, and events team lead at SupplyHouse. The company described its aim as helping to support the “next generation of plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, and other essential trade professionals.”
The scholarship’s growing popularity reflects a broader, mounting demand for skilled trades workers across the U.S. economy — a demand many analysts consider acute. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (HVAC technicians) is projected to grow 8% from 2024 to 2034, “much faster than the average for all occupations.” That translates into 40,100 job openings per year over the decade, driven both by growth and the need to replace workers leaving the field.
Meanwhile, total employment openings across construction and extraction occupations — which include a wide range of trades — are projected at about 649,300 per year, on average, through 2034.
Industry groups warn that firms are already struggling to fill posts. In a 2025 survey by Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), 92% of contracting firms reported difficulty finding qualified workers, and 45% said labor shortages had caused project delays.
Analysts attribute the shortage to a combination of long-term structural factors: workforce attrition (retirement, career changes), fewer young people entering trades, and insufficient training capacity to meet demand.
A recent report by consulting firm McKinsey & Company concluded that U.S. manufacturing and construction sectors face a “hiring crunch” for carpenters, electricians, welders, plumbers, and other skilled trades.
In short: as older workers leave the workforce, the pipeline of new talent isn’t keeping pace — and many employers fear enough qualified workers won’t materialize without intervention.
The 2025 recipients of the Track to the Trades Scholarship — drawn from diverse geographic and personal backgrounds — reflect a growing awareness among young people and career-changers that trade work offers viable, stable, well-paid careers. Among them is Aungelique Simmons of Marietta, Georgia, who wrote in her application essay:
“I want to be part of the new wave of skilled workers who break barriers and show that the trades are for everyone. Because when more people like me step into these spaces, we bring new ideas, perspectives, and possibilities.”
That statement underscores not just a personal ambition, but a broader shift in sentiment: many prospective tradespeople are motivated by financial security, community service, and long-term employability.
SupplyHouse’s support — covering training costs, tools, and certifications — addresses a major barrier for many aspiring trades workers. As demand surges for HVAC, plumbing, electrical and other skilled services, reducing financial and logistical barriers to entry could help attract and retain new talent.
Bigger Stakes: Demand Pressures, Infrastructure Needs, and Economic Ripples
The shortage of skilled trades workers has ramifications beyond individual career paths. As demand grows for residential and commercial construction, retrofits, HVAC upgrades, and infrastructure — including energy-efficient and climate-resilient systems — the lack of qualified technicians threatens both project timelines and broader policy goals.
For instance:
- HVAC and building-system retrofits are critical to improving energy efficiency and lowering carbon emissions.
- Aging infrastructure in many U.S. cities requires more plumbers, pipefitters, and technicians to maintain safe water, heating, and sanitation systems.
- New construction projects — residential, commercial, data centers, industrial plants — all compete for a shrinking pool of skilled labor.
If supply of labor doesn’t expand rapidly, the industry says, construction costs could rise, delays could become more common, and growth plans may stall. According to the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the construction sector must attract 439,000 net new workers in 2025 to meet demand — and that number is expected to rise in 2026.
At the same time, societal and cultural shifts — including assumptions that college degrees are the best path, and reduced awareness of trades as a career — have historically deterred many from these fields.
By crowning scholarship winners across a wide geographic and demographic range, SupplyHouse signals that trade careers are increasingly seen as accessible and viable — an important step for an industry that needs to rebuild its workforce from the ground up.
The 2025 Track to the Trades Scholarship is one of many efforts — by companies, trade associations, educators, and policymakers — to combat an escalating workforce shortage in the trades.
For students and aspiring workers, such funding reduces the upfront cost of training, tools, and certification. For employers and communities, it strengthens a pipeline that might otherwise shrink or remain underutilized. And for the broader economy, it helps preserve the capacity to build, maintain, and upgrade critical infrastructure.
As one recent industry report put it: “Tradespeople wanted.” Without significantly expanding recruitment, training, and support now, the gap between demand and supply could deepen — undermining everything from housing construction to energy-efficiency upgrades to public works.
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