With more and more high schoolers and recent graduates beginning to look at different career paths, a popular alternative (or addition) to the traditional four-year universities has started to arise: the trades industry. Here in the Tampa Bay Area, St. Pete’s largest private employer is taking steps to make that path not only more accessible, but also more desirable.

It’s a fitting role for Power Design, Inc., as one of the nation’s leading design build contractors. The celebrated company was founded on a blue-collar work ethic, and it’s that commitment to good, hard work that has helped them become the industry star they are today. With the future of young people in mind, Power Design is doing the same thing it did those decades ago when the company was founded: starting here at home.

Just this week, the company is in the midst of its second annual Power Youth program, where the children of employees (many from around the country) come to headquarters here in St. Pete for a week of immersive training and learning about the fun parts of the trades industry. The goal is to help youth see the trades as a true career path, whether that includes going to a four-year university or not.

PDI’s first apprenticeship class graduates this month

Students are spending the week visiting job sites, touring Power Design’s massive campus, and undergoing training around pipes, electricity and plenty more. They spend time in the company’s state-of-the-art training center, and through it all develop skills and an appreciation for the industry.

And to that end, Power Design’s first graduating class for its PowerU post high school apprenticeships just graduated this week, sending qualified and highly-trained professionals into the world. The four-year apprenticeship program for adults consisting of mentorship, on the job training, and coursework, all with the goal of becoming a licensed journeyman electrician upon completion.

However, what the company is doing locally for the trades industry goes far beyond its north St. Pete campus. Throughout the Tampa Bay Area there are opportunities for high schoolers to learn these skills, including Dunedin High School and St. Petersburg High School’s electrician programs, in addition to several summer trades programs at county schools, and Power Design is active in supporting similar programs.

This fall, Power Design is one of several local companies partnering with Junior Achievement, going into local high schools and sending employees to work with individuals in underserved populations to showcase the trades and help develop skills. As part of the mentorship program, Junior Achievers and its partners will help a total of 3,300 students across seven districts this fall.

All of this comes as Power Design shows a commitment to elevating the trades industry nationwide, while carving out paths for people of all backgrounds and interests to get involved. Learn more about the company, as well as their apprenticeship programs, at powerdesigninc.us.