Our Largest Program
Your Future Doesn't Have to Start With a Four-Year Degree.
There are many ways to build a successful career. College is one of them — and it's a great choice for many students. So is a registered apprenticeship, a trade school program, a certification, or an employer-sponsored training path.
Know Every Option
Every Student Deserves to Know Every Path Available to Them.
College is the right path for many students. Apprenticeships, trade schools, certifications, and employer-sponsored training are powerful paths too. Our goal is to make sure young people understand all of their options before deciding what comes next.
The goal isn't to choose for them. It's to make sure they have choices.
Skilled trades can offer paid training instead of tuition debt, strong long-term earnings, work that is genuinely needed in every community, and clear routes into supervision, inspection, or business ownership. Students deserve to hear that alongside everything else.
The Youth Pathway
Five Steps From Curious to Career
Discover
Learn about different skilled trades — what the work is really like, what it pays, and what kind of person tends to thrive in each one.
Experience
We want to help you try demonstrations, events, jobsite tours, career fairs, and hands-on opportunities so you can explore before you commit.
Prepare
Build the math, measurement, mechanical, and workplace skills that apprenticeship entrance tests and employers look for.
Connect
We aim to introduce you to tradespeople, employers, apprenticeship representatives, training programs, and mentors who can answer real questions.
Start Your Career
Apply for training, apprenticeships, certifications, and employment — with help on applications, tests, and interviews.
What We Are Building
Program Activities for Students
We are building relationships with schools, employers, unions, apprenticeship programs, and community organizations to make activities like these available.
For Schools & Families
Bring Trades Forward to Your School or Community
Teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, parents, and youth organizations can tell us what kind of trade career education would help their students. We will follow up to talk through options and scheduling.
Tell us a little about your students and what you'd like to accomplish. We'll follow up to talk through options and scheduling.
STEM & Trade Exploration
Connecting STEM to Real Skilled-Trade Careers
Hands-on experiences that help young people see how science, technology, engineering, and math show up in real trade careers.
These experiences are designed to connect STEM concepts to real skilled-trade careers such as electrical, HVAC, plumbing, construction, manufacturing, welding, robotics, surveying, and other technical careers.
Trades Forward is developing STEM and trade-exploration events with schools, employers, community organizations, families, and volunteers. Programs can be customized based on audience, location, available resources, and partner support.
Interested in Hosting or Sponsoring an Event?Availability will depend on location, scheduling, and volunteer or partner capacity.