It was a special day for Annalise Brandon and Abraham Winkles. They are the newest apprentices with the Service Professor family through their Ride 2 Decide program.
"So, I'm gonna be working with the technicians going out with them meeting up with the customers and help them assist them on what they're fixing. Which is most of the time AC'S and heating systems", said Abraham Winkles.
Annalise Brandon has the unique distinction of being the first female to sign on. "Everybody's been super helpful, super accepting. You know, they teach me and if you're a woman and you want to get into the trades, it's a great, great thing to do", said Brandon.
This is the third year of the Ride 2 Decide program, and it was started out of necessity. "As more and more people were driven to college by school counselors, career advisors, different things of that nature, when, frankly, not everybody's meant for college", said Brad Krause, Service Professor President. "So we saw the need for it. So it's really an educational program. To go to schools, let them know the appeal the trades what can be accomplished by going into the trades, and then most importantly, actually giving them the opportunity to ride with one of our technicians, hence the name ride to decide."
Service Professor will teach Abraham and Annalise as much as they want to learn, from electrical and plumbing to heating and cooling. The pair is excited about making money. "After weighing all the options, it just seems like a trade is the best way to go. I mean, college debt, it's a real thing. You know, you know, some people can't afford college and if you talk to your high school and talk to your guidance counselor, you can get a trade and start right after high school no debt which is, which is a super, super good thing," said Brandon.
Krause says he love this program because it's all about giving back.
"This isn't about just hiring people for ourselves. We do take a certain amount of apprentices on every year, but it's also about the education part of it, you know, whether you want to do you know, be a drywaller or a welder. Those are, those are trades that we don't do. And but I'd like to educate them on Hey, that's a great craft. And, you know, I know many people that we can put them in touch with as well."
In the meantime, Abraham and Annalise will just enjoy the ride.
"No, it's fun. Get to work with the technicians. They're fun people, interesting people. So it's pretty fun. I like it."
If you are interested in a career in the skilled trades, you should check out the Service Professor website www.serviceprofessor.com
