We have listened to master plumbers, welders, electricians, carpenters, elevator mechanics, car mechanics, ironworkers, pipefitters, HVAC technicians, tin-knockers, and more. From their doorsteps on Brass Castle Road in Oxford, to the breakfast tables at the VFW in Glen Gardner, and the Somerset 4-H Fair in Bridgewater, they all tell us the same thing. “We are all retiring soon, and there are not enough young people coming up to take our beautiful six-figure jobs.” Our campaign, Citron & Powell for State Assembly, is laser-focused on making sure our public school curriculums reincorporate occupational skills and the trades.
When we talk to parents, they say the same thing in their own way: not every kid is meant to sit behind a desk for four years after high school. Some kids are meant to build, repair, weld, wire, and design. They’re visual thinkers and problem-solvers. They take things apart just to see how they work. But too many of them get told, quietly or outright, that if they don’t go to college, they’re going to fail. That’s wrong. That’s not how America was built. We need to bring back the dignity and opportunity of skilled work. That starts by showing our children, early on, that trades are a path to pride, purpose, and prosperity.
On the campaign trail, we have been reminded countless times, that our schools used to teach shop, auto repair, metalwork, construction, and even how to bake in home economics. Students graduated knowing how to wire a switch, fix a sink, or build a shed even if they never made a career out of it. Those skills built confidence and independence. We’ve replaced that with standardized tests. We’re not just losing tradespeople, we’re losing a sense of real-world readiness. Bringing back the trades doesn’t mean giving up on academics; it means expanding opportunities for everyone.
There’s also an economic truth we can’t ignore. Businesses across New Jersey are desperate for skilled labor. Contractors are booked months in advance because there’s simply no one to hand the wrench to. When we prepare students for those jobs, jobs that can’t be outsourced or automated, we strengthen our middle class and our local communities. That’s what keeps families rooted and flourishing here in the Garden State.
Our campaign believes in education that leads to real opportunity. We can honor every kind of intelligence, from the book smart, to the hands-on, and everything in between. By putting occupational skills and trades back into our public schools, we can build a generation that keeps New Jersey running, fixing, growing, and thriving. The future doesn’t just belong to the ones holding diplomas, it belongs to the ones holding tools, too.
If this message resonates with you, please vote for us, Guy Citron and Tyler Powell for State Assembly by mail, early, or in-person by November 4th.
Published in TAPinto 2025-10-17