Plumbing careers: Troy Benavidez of LIXIL says 94% of plumbers are satisfied with their job, and asks why schools keep steering kids away from it. Troy was just back from WorldSkills Shanghai, where LIXIL sponsored the plumbing and heating competition and American plumber Charlie Goede won an award of excellence.
He compares how other countries connect industry and vocational education with how the U.S. does it, where companies like his still knock on trade school doors to get into the classroom. Troy Benavidez works at LIXIL, the global building and plumbing company behind American Standard, GROHE and DXV.
LIXIL runs TradeUp, an American Standard program that visits schools around the country to train students on new plumbing products and technology. You'll hear what Troy saw at the WorldSkills Conference with 89 countries, why he thinks the U.S. draws too hard a line between college and the trades, and why kids who get excited at a summer camp lose it when they go back to a school system that doesn't include the trades.
He and Andrew talk about what happens after a new hire shows up on day one, why apprentice pay is hard to live on at 26 or 27, the LIXIL study behind the 94% figure, private equity buying plumbing and HVAC companies, and whether six-week data center training programs will pull workers out of the trades.
Key Takeaways.
01
Plumbers like their work. Troy says a LIXIL study found 94% of plumbers are totally satisfied with their job, while consumers still picture someone carrying around a plunger.
02
Industry is still knocking on the door. Troy says U.S. trade schools treat industry training as an add-on, and some high schools won't let trainers wear an American Standard or LIXIL shirt.
03
The first four years are the hard part. Troy says apprentice pay is a hard salary to live on for a 26- or 27-year-old supporting a family, and that employers and government could help close that gap.
04
Six weeks isn't a career. Troy says a six-week data center training program "isn't gonna be recognized outside of that," and hopes those workers come back to more traditional training.
Meet Troy Benavidez.
Troy Benavidez is with LIXIL, the company behind American Standard. He was in Shanghai for WorldSkills 2026, where LIXIL sponsored the plumbing and heating competition, and he works with TradeUp, American Standard's program for plumbing students and instructors.
