My husband is a carpenter, and I can’t even begin to tell you how many people ask me if he’s taking side jobs (and how many nails, screws, and ear-protection plugs I find in the washing machine after running a load of laundry). “I need a new deck, or window, or entire house,” people tell me. “Do you know if he has any time?”
Due to the number of folks in the trades retiring, and fewer youth entering the field, contractors, builders, and homeowners are in a bit of a pickle. Spark M.V., hosted by the Martha’s Vineyard Builders Association, in partnership with TradesUp, is trying to remedy this. Aiming to spark passion in the hearts, minds, and hands of young people, they are providing hands-on experiences designed by professional tradespeople.
“This is the first annual M.V. event, but the concept comes from Mason Lord, who started this in Kent, Conn., two years ago,” Newell Isbell Shinn, former M.V. Builders Association president and South Mountain Co. director of production, said.
Aside from lack of housing, the Island faces a lack of workforce. “We’re seeing people in the trades retiring, the need for housing compounding, and people coming in from off-Island to work. We have a lack of homegrown talent here — not enough people to take the place of those retiring,” said Sarah Hughes, vice president at Marsh McLennan Agency, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Builders Association, and founding board member.
Anna Koppel, Vineyard Vision Fellow and key staff member for Spark M.V., said, “My partner is a fisherman, and we have two young children, so the conversation about what it means to have meaningful work here is ongoing for us. From the fisherman’s standpoint, the average age of people working in the field is mid-60s. What happens to our Island if no one goes into these positions? There is so much work on the Island, but you watch the steamship come in and you see day workers pouring on and off and taking the money they make off the Island. It’s an issue.”
It used to be that industrial arts programs in high schools were plentiful. These programs provided students with numerous opportunities to explore the trades and enter the workforce without a college degree. According to Education Next, since the 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk — considered a landmark event in American educational history — policymakers and politicians have tried to preclude a perceived decline in academic preparation. Consistently low exam scores imply that many U.S. graduates are ill-equipped for college and the workforce. In response, many states have made high school graduation requirements more rigorous. This may seem like progress, but many of these gains have come at the expense of vocational or technical education. Proponents argue that trades-related education deters students from attending college, and prepares them for “dead-end” jobs. Opposing camps, however, point to shortages in the skilled professions, noting that not all students are college-bound, and that for some, vocational training may be the difference between high- and low-paying jobs.
“We, as a society, have done a great job of selling a college education — college for all — but the cost of education is increasing, and not everyone can go to college. My nephew is a great example,” Isbell Shinn said. “He went to a technical program in horticulture, and started working a full-time job the day after he graduated. He’s now watching his friends paying student loan debts that they’ll be paying for at least the next 10 years, and he isn’t.”
Isbell Shinn also pointed out that it wasn’t that long ago when we all knew someone who could do things around the house. Generationally, this knowledge is disappearing. “We’ve become glued to our screens more and more as things become more virtual. We’re shifting away from hands-on work. This event is about putting tools in the hands of kids — yes, touch this, make a mess — we know that kids really respond to that, and from that something can be sparked.”
“Part of that is intuitive,” Koppel added. “A little kid loves to hold a tool, and they feel so proud when they make things. We want to spread that to as many people as possible.”
As the cost of living soars across the country, in many ways it’s even higher on the Island. “A career in the trades is one of the more successful ways to have life on the Island. It’s hard to live here, but the trades can make it easier,” Isbell Shinn continued. “The high school has great internships and co-ops for students in the trades, but they’ve expressed that they have a hard time getting students interested. So we felt that providing hands-on experiences for younger kids and families seemed like a great way to plant those seeds early — to see how exciting and satisfying it can be to work in these fields — and meet older folks who live this life and are willing to share that.”
Another reason why young people may not be heading into the trades in droves is that there is a negative perception of the work. This perception is perpetuated by movies in which the “dumb” plumber is constantly pulling his pants up, while water shoots up from the faucet he’s working on, and by well-meaning but misinformed counselors, teachers, and family members. I remember a man who had hired my husband to build something for him, stood watching him while he worked, and remarked, “I used to do construction in college. It’s a great thing to fall back on.”
In reality, tradespeople carry a wealth of knowledge, possess a variety of skills, and are often highly creative problem solvers. Without them we wouldn’t have houses to live in, electricity to see by, or cars to drive.
“Working in the trades requires a great deal of creativity,” Hughes said. “They [tradespeople] need the ability to take a technical document, the specifications [the science of the plan], and blend that vision with the dream of the homeowner. This requires a meticulous level of detail, and this precision requires that the tradesperson uses creative thinking to ensure the final product is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.“
Though M.V. Vision Fellowship was instrumental in funding the Spark M.V. event, other organizations are also involved. “The M.V. Fellowship is really a partner in this work,” Isbell Shinn said. “Similarly, the high school has been really supportive and enthusiastic, and ACE MV, and a variety of community partners are working with us as well.”
“The adage ‘It takes a village’ really rings true here,” Hughes said. “This event is sponsored by M.V. Builders Association, but we aren’t doing this alone. We’ve worked for over a year with partners across the Island, which speaks to the fact that people believe in the mission of Spark M.V., and in the Island and its future. This is our first annual event, but we see this as No. 1 of many.”
Spark M.V. is a family event, and runs 12 to 4 pm on Oct. 26 at the Ag Hall in West Tisbury. Kids of all ages will don safety glasses and earplugs, get dirty, get creative, make things, break things, fix things, and learn how they work. There will be tree climbing, nail-banging, wood cutting, carpentry, horticulture, boat repair, shellfishing, solar, tree care, plumbing, and more. There will also be food, drink, and live music. Preregistration is encouraged but not required. Sparkmv.com.
