#1 Bestseller · Now Available

Pass the Torch

A Rallying Call to Rescue the Future of Trades

by Manja Horner

Third-Generation Tradesperson and Workforce Education Expert

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Pass the Torch: A Rallying Call to Rescue the Future of Trades by Manja Horner, book cover
1 in 4
people working in the trades are heading into retirement.
7 : 1
By some estimates, only one new tradesperson enters for every seven who leave.
40 yrs
What worked for recruiting and training forty years ago doesn’t necessarily work today.
The Book

The future of the trades is at a crossroads

The trades are facing the biggest turnover they have ever seen. Workers are retiring and owners are closing up shop, and they are taking decades of hard-won experience with them. For years, skilled trades and “dirty jobs” were sold to young people as a last resort. Now the bill has come due: a skilled worker shortage, and not enough hands to pick up the torch.

Pass the Torch is both a wake-up call and a roadmap. Manja Horner says the hard things out loud, then hands leaders in construction, manufacturing and the skilled trades a practical playbook to:

  • Become an irresistible employer that attracts the best workers
  • Capture retiring knowledge before it walks out the door
  • Turn expert craft and trade methods into real training
  • Shorten ramp-up time for apprentices and new hires
  • Modernize workplaces built on respect, clarity and pride
  • Develop supervisors who can run crews and keep good people

Change is expensive. The only thing more costly is doing nothing.

Who It’s For

For everyone who has a stake in the next generation of trades

Whether you run the company, lead the crew or represent the members, this is the book to put on the dashboard of your truck and pass around the lunch room.

Trades Company Owners Construction Manufacturing Renovation & Restoration Supervisors & Foremen Union Leaders HR & Training Teams Educators & Apprenticeship Programs
Manja Horner interviewed on CNBC Business Minute
As Seen on CNBC

The trades are in crisis. Here’s how we fix it.

On CNBC’s Business Minute, Manja breaks down what’s gone wrong in the trades, why right now is the tipping point, and why companies have to rethink how they recruit and train. What worked forty years ago doesn’t work today.

Read the story →
Also Featured
Forbes Profiled in “Rebuilding Construction: Why Disruptors Are Betting On Women.” Read article → On Site Podcast Why the trades need more leaders who are willing to train. Watch clip → Kevin Rempel The keynote speaker on why every trades leader should read it. Watch endorsement → Durham Region HBA Featured speaker for the Durham Region Home Builders’ Association. Watch →
The Launch

Passing the torch in Port Hope

July 3, 2026Villa Idalia · Port Hope, Ontario

Manja celebrated the launch of Pass the Torch at the historic Villa Idalia in Port Hope. Dignitaries, family and friends, industry leaders and tradespeople filled the room to celebrate the book and the idea at its heart: every one of us has a part to play in handing skills and craftsmanship to the next generation.

  • Hit #1 Bestseller status
  • Spotted in the wild at Pulse Coffeehouse in Port Hope
  • Bulk orders shipped to trades leaders gifting copies to their clients and crews
  • Featured on CNBC and in Forbes
Watch the launch reel →
View the Pass the Torch launch on Instagram
What Readers Are Saying

Straight talk the industry has been waiting for

4.9 out of 5 on Amazon

“Dog-ear it, highlight it, and actually use it. A must-read for anyone serious about the future of the trades.”

— Crystal, verified Amazon review

“A clear diagnosis of the problems and a realistic, step-by-step approach to solving them.”

— Mark Wheller, Amazon review

“Very insightful. This should be embraced at high schools across the country.”

— Jeff Gibbons, Amazon review
Meet the Author

Manja Horner

Manja Horner is a third-generation tradesperson. She grew up on the job in her family’s heritage restoration business, learning craft, precision and pride of work from her father and the seasoned masters she worked beside. She knows the rhythm of a job site and the unwritten rules of trades culture because she has lived them.

She has spent more than sixteen years in skills training, leadership development and curriculum design across nearly every industry. Today she is back at her roots as founder of Boost Union and Boost Learning Design, helping trades companies, unions and frontline teams across North America strengthen their supervisors, train their workers and build workplaces people want to stay in.

Her message to owners is simple: stop waiting for someone else to fix the labour shortage. Build an irresistible workplace, train your leaders, capture your knowledge before it retires, and grow your own pipeline from the ground up.

Follow on Instagram → Boost Learning Design →

Pick up the torch

Grab a copy for yourself, and one for every leader on your crew.

Paperback & Kindle

Order the paperback or start reading instantly on Kindle.

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Audiobook

Five hours on the job site, in the truck or on the road, narrated by Manja herself.

Audible Apple Books

Indigo & Barnes & Noble

Get the Kobo eBook from Indigo, or shop Barnes & Noble.

Kobo eBook Barnes & Noble

Signed & Bulk Copies

Signed hardcovers from Manja, plus 5- and 10-book bundles for your crew, clients or members.

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