Career Change at 40: How to Start a Skilled Trades Career with Vinny Arnese

Career change at 40? Learn how skilled trades careers, plumbing apprenticeships, and the Trade Up Program help adults start working with your hands.

Host Andrew Brown sits down with Lixil America’s Senior National Sales Trainer Vinny Arnese to unpack what it really looks like to make a career change at 40, begin a plumbing apprenticeship, join the Skilled Trades, or shift into a hands-on career through the Trade Up Program.

They break down the rising demand for skilled trades careers, why so many people over 40 are ditching white-collar stress for working with your hands, and how Lixil’s national initiatives support contractors, educators, and the next generation through real advocacy.

Whether you're exploring a career change at 40, researching skilled trades careers, or considering a plumbing apprenticeship, this episode delivers grounded advice, personal stories, and real industry insight you won’t hear anywhere else.

IN THIS EPISODE:

● (00:00) – Why Skilled Trades Careers Are Exploding: Demand, wages, and why more people make a career change at 40.

● (04:52) – Is It Too Late at 40? Real stories of adults shifting careers and finally enjoying working with your hands.

● (10:41) – Inside the Trade Up Program: How Lixil America is reshaping pathways into skilled trades careers through advocacy & education.

● (18:22) – What a Plumbing Apprenticeship Really Looks Like: Earn-while-you-learn, tuition support, and contractor pathways.

● (25:55) – Gen Z, School Counselors & Trades Education: Why the industry needs more structured messaging and exposure.

● (32:14) – Purpose & Fulfillment Through Hands-On Work: Problem-solving, craftsmanship, and why working with your hands transforms lives.

Key Takeaways:

● A career change at 40 is not only realistic—it’s becoming one of the fastest-growing entry points into skilled trades careers.

● A plumbing apprenticeship gives you paid training, fast advancement, and long-term job security without student debt.

● Lixil America’s Trade Up Program is helping adults and students find real pathways into the trades through advocacy and hands-on exposure.

● Working with your hands offers creativity, purpose, problem-solving, and financial stability in a way many white-collar roles no longer provide.

About the Guest

Vinny Arnese is the Senior National Sales Trainer for Lixil America, representing American Standard, GROHE, and DXV. He leads Lixil’s nationwide Trade Up Program, an initiative designed to close the talent gap by guiding students, adults, contractors, and educators toward skilled trades careers—including mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, electricians, millwrights, and construction.

A passionate advocate for the Skilled Trades, Vinny works closely with educators, unions, contractors, and industry experts. His mission is to help anyone—from high school students to those making a career change at 40—discover the stability and fulfillment of working with your hands through training, mentorship, and access to proper education pathways like a plumbing apprenticeship.

Keywords

Career Change at 40, Skilled Trades Careers, Plumbing Apprenticeship, Trade Up Program, Working With Your Hands, Skilled Trades, Trades Industry, Andrew Brown, Vinny Arnese, Lixil, Lixil America, Toolfetch, Carpentry, HVAC, Electricians, Plumbers, Millwrights, Construction, Craftsmanship, Problem-Solving, Creativity, Tradespeople, Advocacy, Trades Careers, Contractors, Industry Experts, Education, Skilled Trades Advisory Council

Resource Links:

Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinny-arnese-7a71006b/

Lixil Website: https://www.lixil.com/

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