It’s always gratifying when you get notes from readers. It lets you know that people are reading what you are writing, and it has some value (hope- fully)! Just this morning, I received an email from Kurt Neuswanger, region manager, North America for OJ Electronics, Inc., maker of electric floor heating systems. He’s been following the Editor’s Letter topics about the way trades are regarded in this country and lack of education and impetus to pursue a trade instead of a 4-year academic college education. Here’s how he sees it: I have been reading your editorials about the lack of focus on trades train- ing in our local schools and the demand from our industry for these programs. While it is encouraging that the current administration has put some emphasis on this subject, such as the recently- announced Apprenticeship Program, a lot more still needs to be done. I was raised in an era when the public schools still had multiple trades programs avail- able to students and it was alarming to me when my own children entered high school several years ago and I real- ized that those types of programs were virtually gone. Our parent company is based in Denmark and it is interesting to observe how the trades are much more valued and respected as a professional occupation in that country, with a much greater emphasis on education, training and certification. Kurt points out one training program that we haven’t yet explored in these articles – the Federal Job Corps train- ing programs for young people from 16-24 years old at www.jobcorps.gov: Throughout the country, various Job Corps training facilities offer tile setting as a vocational track for the students attending these institutions. Job Corps tends to serve a disadvantaged popu- lation who come from areas that are sorely lacking in job opportunities for the critical 18-25 years of age demo- graphic, not just in urban America but rural as well. I have toured several of these facilities and met students in these programs that are getting real application training and are eager to apply these skills and get on the road to earning an honest living. The pride and enthusiasm the students commu- nicate regarding their progress and the skills they are learning indicates to me there is a willing workforce out there if they are exposed to the opportuni- ties. Perhaps our industry could find avenues to connect with this resource. I took a quick look at the website and was astounded to learn that Job Corps residential programs (some campuses are non- residential) provide housing, food, basic medical care, clothing for career training, child care allotment, EDITOR’S LETTER Lesley A. Goddin “It is well to be prepared for life as it is, but it is better to be prepared to make life better than it is.” – Sargent Shriver 12 TileLetter | August 2017