Hiring boost from Angi

Angi reported that it has launched several initiatives for the May 7 National Signing Day – a day to acknowledge and celebrate students who pursue an undergraduate or graduate trade school training program.

“Unfortunately, there are not enough people entering the trades despite the fact that the careers have extremely high job satisfaction and are well paid,” said Angie Hicks, co-founder of the website.

Several company plans will try to help change that.

The Angi Trade Up Scholarship Program will provide scholarships for students in construction-related programs at trade schools nationwide.

Also, the firm announced an expanded partnership with trades jobs platform BlueRecruit, kicking off on May 7, with a first-of-its-kind digital career fair.

The company said this first annual Trade Up Digital Career Fair will connect job seekers on the BlueRecruit platform with the nearly 200,000 home service pros in the Angi network.

“We’re committed to changing the conversation around careers in the trades,” said Hicks.

Nearly a quarter of tradespeople are approaching retirement age according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, said the firm, a growing concern as fewer young people enter the skilled trade industries.

Angi’s new efforts, it said, “are designed to recognize and promote skilled trades careers and help foster connections between job candidates and home service professionals looking to grow their business.”