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Skill Pays Phase 3 - Eight Trade Assessment

Which type of work sounds most interesting to you?

Operating excavators, loaders, dozers, cranes, and other heavy machinery

Mechanical & HVAC, heating, cooling, refrigeration, and mechanical systems

Low Voltage, Fire & Security, fire alarms, security systems, access control, and electronic systems

Electrical work, wiring, troubleshooting, and installing electrical equipment

Welding & Fabrication, welding metal, fabrication, and working with structural materials

Diagnosing and repairing cars, trucks, diesel engines, and vehicle systems

General Construction, building, carpentry, remodeling, and working on construction projects

Plumbing, Sprinkler & Suppression, piping, water systems, fire sprinklers, and suppression systems

Which type of work sounds most appealing to you?

Installing piping, sprinkler, and fire suppression systems

Installing fire alarms, security, access control, and low-voltage systems

Diagnosing and repairing vehicles, diesel engines, and mobile-equipment systems

Repairing heating, cooling, refrigeration, and mechanical equipment

Installing electrical systems and solving electrical problems

Building, remodeling, carpentry, and general construction

Operating heavy equipment to move earth, lift materials, and shape a jobsite

Welding, fabricating, and building things from metal

When something stops working, what would you rather figure out?

How to repair a damaged wall, door, framing, or other part of a building

Why an alarm, sensor, camera, or electronic control device is not communicating

Why an engine, drivetrain, electrical, braking, or fuel system is not working properly

Why a circuit, motor, or electrical device has no power

Why a heating or cooling system is not working properly

How to repair or modify a damaged metal component

Why water or another fluid is not flowing through a piping system correctly

How to operate equipment safely and efficiently when site or ground conditions change

Which situation sounds most satisfying at the end of the day?

Testing an alarm, security, or control system and seeing every device communicate correctly

Seeing the visible progress made on a road, building site, utility project, or excavation

Completing a piping or sprinkler system and seeing the system operate correctly

Looking at a finished metal assembly you welded or fabricated yourself

Turning on a newly installed electrical system and seeing everything operate correctly

Seeing a vehicle or diesel machine return to reliable operation after a successful repair

Getting a heating or cooling system running properly again

Looking at a completed room, structure, or construction project you helped build

Which set of tools or equipment would you most like to learn to use?

Programming tools, network testers, meters, and electronic diagnostic equipment

Multimeter, wire strippers, conduit bender, and electrical testing equipment

Machine controls, grade systems, rigging, radios, inspection checklists, and large equipment

Gauges, meters, vacuum pumps, and HVAC diagnostic equipment

Scan tools, meters, lifts, hand tools, service information, and engine equipment

Pipe wrenches, threading machines, groovers, and pressure-testing equipment

Welder, plasma cutter, grinder, and metal fabrication equipment

Saws, drills, levels, nailers, and general construction tools

Which type of problem would you most enjoy learning how to solve?

I like tracing wires, testing circuits, and finding electrical faults.

I like troubleshooting electronics, sensors, networks, alarms, and control systems.

Diagnosing vehicle systems and tracing mechanical, electrical, or engine faults

Planning safe machine movements and adapting to changing terrain, loads, and site conditions

I like measuring, cutting, fitting, and joining materials to make something precise.

I like looking at the whole project and figuring out how all the pieces fit together.

I like diagnosing machines and figuring out why mechanical systems are not operating correctly.

I like working with piping, pressure, flow, and systems that move water or other fluids.

Which work environment sounds best to you?

Working around electrical panels, wiring, motors, controls, and powered equipment.

Working around heating, cooling, refrigeration, mechanical rooms, and equipment.

Working on construction sites where different parts of a building come together.

A repair shop, fleet facility, dealership, or field-service setting

Outdoor construction sites, infrastructure projects, quarries, mines, or large industrial sites

Working with fire alarms, security, cameras, access control, networks, and electronic systems.

Working in a fabrication shop or jobsite area where metal is cut, fitted, and welded.

Working with piping systems, pumps, valves, sprinklers, and water-based systems.

When you are learning something new, which approach sounds most like you?

I learn best by taking equipment apart, examining the components, and figuring out how they work together.

I learn best by practicing machine controls with an instructor and improving through supervised operation.

I learn best by inspecting a vehicle or engine, using service information and diagnostic tests, then making the repair.

Give me the tools and materials. I would rather learn by measuring, cutting, fitting, and making something.

I prefer learning a process, practicing the correct sequence, and getting each step right.

Show me the plans and the finished goal, then I want to figure out how to build it.

I want to understand how the system works, then troubleshoot problems step by step.

I enjoy learning technology, programming, controls, electronics, and how devices communicate.

Which accomplishment would make you feel the most proud?

Getting several different pieces of equipment to communicate and operate together correctly.

Installing something accurately and knowing every connection, measurement, and component is correct.

Getting a machine or mechanical system operating smoothly and efficiently.

Diagnosing a difficult vehicle problem and returning the vehicle to reliable service

Finding a difficult problem, tracing the cause, and getting the system working again.

Seeing a physical project take shape from plans until the finished work is standing in front of me.

Taking raw materials and turning them into something strong, precise, and finished.

Completing a difficult lift, excavation, grade, or site task safely and accurately

Which type of hands-on work sounds most appealing to you?

Working carefully around energized equipment, panels, wiring, and electrical components.

Working around mechanical equipment, sometimes in tight spaces, while diagnosing and repairing machinery.

Working with metal, heat, sparks, grinders, cutting equipment, and heavy materials.

Working around vehicles and engines while testing, removing, repairing, and reinstalling components

Installing pipe overhead, working from ladders or lifts, and assembling piping systems across a building.

Working with smaller wires, electronic devices, sensors, computers, and testing equipment.

Moving around an active construction site, using different tools and building or installing physical components.

Operating large machinery outdoors while managing terrain, loads, visibility, and nearby crews

If you had to choose, which matters most to you in the work you do?

Working with technology and learning newer electronic systems.

Having variety. I would rather work on different projects and problems than do the same type of task every day.

Building something with my hands and seeing the finished result.

Operating powerful equipment safely while making visible progress on major projects

Becoming highly skilled at diagnosing and repairing complex equipment.

Solving technical problems that require careful testing and logical thinking.

Doing precise work where measurements, connections, and installation quality matter.

Becoming highly skilled at diagnosing and repairing vehicles, engines, and mobile equipment

If you were learning from plans, diagrams, or instructions, which task sounds most interesting to you?

Turning dimensions and drawings into accurately cut, fitted, and assembled pieces.

Following diagrams and tracing how power moves through circuits and equipment.

Reading plans and figuring out how different parts of a building need to come together.

Understanding how different mechanical components interact inside a working system.

Following wiring diagrams, device addresses, programming information, and system sequences.

Following wiring diagrams, service procedures, specifications, and diagnostic flowcharts

Reading site plans, grade information, lift plans, and equipment operating instructions

Following piping layouts, measurements, elevations, and connection points.

You run into a problem you have never seen before. What would you most likely do first?

Study how the equipment is supposed to operate, then compare that with what it is doing.

Check the installation, connections, pressure, flow, and physical condition of the system.

Check programming, communications, wiring, sensors, and device status.

Check service information and diagnostic data, then test the most likely vehicle systems

Start testing one point at a time until I isolate where the problem begins.

Measure everything and inspect the material or assembly to find what is out of alignment.

Stop, assess the terrain, load, people, and hazards, then plan the safest machine movement

Look at the entire project, identify what changed, and work backward to the source.

Which workday sounds most appealing to you?

Moving between different tasks while helping turn plans and materials into a finished building.

Troubleshooting and installing technical systems where accuracy and safety are critical.

Working with computers, electronics, controls, testing equipment, and connected devices.

Installing large systems across a building and seeing steady physical progress throughout the day.

Operating machinery outdoors while excavation, grading, lifting, or site work steadily progresses

Working on equipment where every service call might bring a different mechanical problem.

Spending hours focused on making, fitting, and finishing something accurately.

Diagnosing and repairing different vehicles or diesel equipment throughout the day

When you think about your future career, what sounds most important to you?

Mastering vehicle and diesel technology with options in dealerships, fleets, field service, or ownership

Having a career where every day brings different equipment, locations, and problems to solve.

Building operating experience with paths into specialized equipment, foreman roles, or site supervision

Building a broad range of skills so I could eventually lead projects or run my own business.

Mastering a hands-on skill where the quality of my work is easy to see.

Working with advanced technology, electronics, automation, and connected systems.

Becoming a highly skilled technician who solves difficult technical problems.

Learning a specialized trade where my skills become more valuable as my experience grows.