Jack Blankenship III, 40
Greer, South Carolina
Earning $15/hour
Two years after completing his training at J. Harley Bonds Career Center in Greer, South Carolina, Jack Blankenship is working as one of the main plumbers on staff at Robinson Plumbing Services, also located in Greer. In that position, Blankenship is earning as much as $15 per hour, working on both residential and commercial projects.
Blankenship enjoys the rough-in work the most. “I don’t know why, but I just like laying pipe,” he says.
A silver winner in the 2004 SkillsUSA Championship , Blankenship is now working toward his Journeyman’s license at Greenville Technical Institute. That will boost his earning power considerably.
What is his advice for high school students looking for a job?
“They should definitely get a trade under their belts,” Blankenship suggests. “A trade will be with you all of your life. A company can close its doors, but your skills will provide you with a living.
“The best thing I did was getting into a vocational school and finding a trade. It has been very successful for me,” Blankenship says.
He says the future is bright, too. “Companies are always on the lookout for a skilled and qualified craftsman and willing to pay good wages to that someone.”
Blankenship couldn’t be more grateful for his plumbing apprenticeship, which gave him his start. “I wouldn’t know about plumbing if it wasn’t for the apprenticeship. It is what got me started in plumbing. It got me interested, and I was good at it.”
Back to TOP .