Nate Spengel and Dan Mattingly discuss the importance of skilled labor on a podcast.

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In a world increasingly focused on automation, AI, and white-collar careers, it’s easy to overlook the important value of skilled labor. But as Nate Spangle says in a recent Get Indiana podcast episode with NCW VP and owner Dan Mattingly, “Someone has still got to swing the hammer.” That simple truth highlights the reality that no matter how advanced our technology becomes, there will always be a need for the people who build, fix, and maintain the physical world around us. 

During the episode, Spangle shares a story about a young man who chose to join the Gaylor Electric Apprenticeship Program instead of going to college. At just 19 years old, he’s already out-earning many of his peers and is well on his way to a successful, debt-free career. It’s a prime example of how skilled trades offer not just an alternative, but a competitive and rewarding career path in skilled labor.  

Dan Mattingly emphasizes the benefits of this skilled labor path: livable wages right out of high school, zero student debt, and the pride of building something tangible in your community. “You can be in your early to mid-30s making six figures if you pursue leadership roles like foreman or superintendent,” he says. The skilled labor market, the “hammer swingers,” as Dan puts it, is exactly who NCW is focused on connecting with opportunities. 

So, what would Dan say to a teenager who’s unsure about college or just doesn’t like school? “Do the math and make an educated decision,” he advises. He has learned the high cost of college firsthand as the father of a freshman and urges parents and students alike to take a closer look at all their options. There’s real upward mobility in skilled labor and the trades, and more people need to know that. 

Artificial intelligence will transform industries like recruiting, but Mattingly raises a critical point: “I have a hard time understanding how AI is going to braze, sodder, change filters, and rewire things.” In other words, we may automate communication or analysis, but the physical work of building and maintaining infrastructure? That still falls to skilled labor workers.  

As fewer people know how to repair their homes or HVAC systems, the demand for skilled labor workers only grows. It’s time we recognize—and elevate—the hammer swingers who keep our world running.