In my last blog, I introduced a partnership BNP Media forged with BirdDog Jobs, a career center specializing in the skilled trades. Today, we’re pleased to announce another partnership.

BNP Media is joining forces with Mike Rowe Works Trades Hub, a new portal Web site dedicated to the advancement of the skilled trades and to helping trades people excel at their jobs.

Rowe has “apprenticed” at nearly 300 job sites during the course of hosting Dirty Jobs. Through those experiences, combined with a legacy of a carpenter grandfather, Rowe developed a passion for the skilled trades.

Check out his commitment to the trades by viewing this video.

Rowe launched his mikeroweWORKS Web site in 2008, providing resources, news, and a community forum for all kinds of trades workers. With the launch of sister site Trades Hub, Rowe is connecting people from even more trades by providing additional content from a number of selected trade media.

A big component of Trades Hub is the addition of hundreds of blogs written to help trades folk become better at their jobs, run their companies more efficiently, and develop the next generation of skilled trades workers.

This new platform brings together even more experts from the trades, including construction, plumbing, HVAC, and manufacturing. Several blogs are being supplied by BNP Media.

Specifically, Trades Hub is dedicated to providing high quality trades-focused content, centralized information, and business- and career-building news and stories.  In short, Trades Hub will be collecting all kinds of blogs, articles, and news stories relating to the trades, by the trades, and for the trades.

I’m encouraged that Mike Rowe is investing his time and resources to support the trades.  It’s not like he needs the publicity. He is doing this to support the “regular” hard-working folks he has come to appreciate.

I’m especially gratified Rowe holds the trades in such esteem that he wants to help develop new workers. He sees what a lot of us see – tradesmen and tradeswomen who are undervalued, underpaid, and underappreciated. Hopefully, Trades Hub and professional Web sites like the one you reading now will help create a sense of pride for the next generation of workers who choose the trades for their careers.

Pride is a funny thing. Too much, or too little of it, will kill your business. That’s why I appreciate Rowe’s value-driven support. Speaking of pride, check out this short video passed along by BNP Heating Help columnist Dan Holohan. It’s called Blue Collar and Proud of It. 

In case you missed Part I of Finding and Filling Jobs, BNP has teamed up with BirdDog Jobs to provide a career center geared specifically to the design, construction, engineering, maintenance, security and mechanical systems markets. Our goal is to provide solutions to help you find or fill a position, navigate the murky waters of hiring legalities, and create ongoing resources for career development.

During its 14-year history, BirdDog has helped more than 3,500 employers in specialized industries move to a strategy of planned hiring. In addition, the combined BirdDog family of sites and solutions has attracted more than 100,000 job seekers.

Check out this new career center by clicking on the BirdDog Jobs poll question posted on the home page of this Web site, or by clicking here.