By BRIAN KEARNS

I grew up in the midwest, and remember when my parents swapped the urban apartment for the suburban home. They worked out a deal with the builder to do the cosmetic work themselves; I imagine saving money. My dad was rather handy at painting, staining woodwork. Confident; he learned how to do these things from his father who grew up in an era of self-sufficiency. Watching him do plumbing and wiring made me aware that anyone with the desire, can learn these skills.

These skills came in handy for living the new middle-class lifestyle, which brought on financial challenges, and perhaps a little “keeping up with the Joneses,” sneaked in, straining the household budget. I can recall my dad picking up odd jobs in the summer for extra cash. Using the money for family vacations and new luxuries around the house. Seeing my father bring value to others with nothing more than his hands and weekends, was the “Aha Moment.”

Beginning in High school, I discovered how to start developing my own skills through “elective classes.” Untypical course work that falls outside “normal” academic subject areas like math and history. Nevertheless, it’s where I found shop class; a curriculum focused on building stuff. After satisfying all my prerequisites, I joined the building trades. Another educational program, but instead of being in the classroom, you were on a live construction site. Here I seized the opportunity to leave the constraints of schoolwork behind. Sure my mornings were still spent in math & science classes, but the afternoons I traded in the chalk for the dirt, building homes. Students did everything, except for work that required certification, like electrical and plumbing.

For the first time, I could visualize how to translate this hands-on learning into a foreseeable career; but then, just before graduating, I recall a teacher lecturing to our class, who said something that stuck with me for a lifetime, “College is where you go to make a living.”

Fast forward to today, I’ve found this story is still being told, evident by the millions of dollars in untouched trade scholarships, and the billions of dollars in student debt. A meltdown is about to occur for the lack of people entering trade careers, baby boomers retiring, and a broken system that fails to bring frequency and scale from education to employment. To fill the gap, it’s time to shift our opinions about these careers that are in high demand and bring endless opportunities.

That’s why I started this company, motivated to re-envision how students connect with trade employers. Like my father did with me, inspire a brand new generation of students to pursue the skilled trades.

Brian Kearns
Brian’s journey originated as a high school student, who discovered Vo-tech, which guided him to a trade school following graduation & his first career as a structural engineering tech. A serial founder who’s career pivoted with an entrepreneurial opportunity to bootstrap a small family-owned retail store into an award-winning “best places to work” e-commerce sporting goods company. These experiences shaped his passion for connecting people through impactful internet-driven experiences who share a vision for the ideal workplace.

CTE Gig
A software platform that builds awareness, while lowering stigma to develop career connections over time that form a pipeline, so more students, especially women, and underrepresented groups can enter these careers.