Trade Groups Shifted Pitch to Business Ownership

Leaders are now positioning business ownership as a key career path to attract young talent to the skilled trades.

Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Careers

Isometric editorial illustration of a brass gear next to a geometric building block, representing the transition from technical labor to business ownership. — Nexstar Network and other industry leaders are retooling their recruitment strategies to highlight business ownership as a primary career incentive for new trade technicians. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should trade education programs place more emphasis on training future business owners?

Nexstar Network CEO Julian Scadden has proposed expanding industry recruiting efforts to emphasize business ownership opportunities rather than just technical roles. This strategic shift aims to build a more robust and motivated pipeline for the skilled-trades workforce.

Why it matters

The industry is struggling to solve labor shortages, and leaders believe changing the career narrative will better attract younger generations who prioritize long-term entrepreneurship. By reframing the trades as a pathway to running a business, firms hope to increase recruitment appeal.

Industry organizations are actively investing in skilled-trades workforce development, though the specific total capital allocated to these initiatives remains undisclosed. The exact number of apprentices targeted for business-ownership tracks is also currently unknown.

The players

Julian Scadden

President and CEO of Nexstar Network who is leading a push to modernize recruiting pitches for the skilled trades.

Nexstar Network

A member-based organization representing home services businesses, providing professional development and networking for trade operators.

The details

Industry leaders are developing mentorship programs designed to help current technicians navigate the leap from labor to management and ownership. This model aims to integrate entrepreneurial education into the existing professional development framework, showing employees how to scale their own operations within the trade sector.

Market Landscape

This move follows the long-standing industry trend of addressing the skilled-trades labor shortage through new recruitment models. It marks a departure from purely technical training focuses, instead framing trades as an entrepreneurial career path.

Operators should evaluate whether their current mentorship programs explicitly outline pathways to ownership for top-performing technicians. Aligning career growth with entrepreneurial ambition may help reduce turnover and improve talent retention.

The takeaway

Emphasizing the entrepreneurial nature of skilled trades is the new industry standard for attracting ambitious younger recruits. Managers should monitor how their competitors are rebranding technician roles and consider if their internal leadership tracks offer clear paths to future partnership or ownership.