Mike Rowe has been a long-time champion of the value and dignity of working in the skilled trades.
And it seems the fruits of his hard work are beginning to pay off.
That’s why this surprising shift underway from Gen Z is causing Mike Rowe to breathe a deep sigh of relief.
The skyrocketing costs and increasingly questionable value of so-called “education” provided by colleges and universities are causing Generation Z to totally rethink their career paths.
For decades, college was sold to the American people as a golden ticket for a better life.
But now, for many students, this no longer holds true.
Yearly tuition at some private colleges is now more than $90,000, and the education once provided by most colleges and universities has been replaced with woke indoctrination in the classroom.
Through it all, ‘Dirty Jobs’ host Mike Rowe has been working diligently to encourage young people to enter the skilled trades that keep modern life functioning instead of attending college.
And now there’s growing evidence that more younger Americans are willing to go into blue-collar work.
Generation Z embracing skilled trades as a career path
As baby boomers begin to retire in greater numbers, the country is facing massive shortages of workers in the skilled trades.
For decades, younger Americans simply didn’t consider going down this career path.
However, enrollment at trade and vocational schools is now climbing among members of Generation Z who are looking for an affordable alternative to college.
Robb Sommerfeld co-founded the National Center for Craftsmanship in order to offer vocational training at high schools.
“We’re finally seeing a more than subtle change within our society,” Sommerfeld told Axios. “More and more students and their parents see alternatives.”
And the National Student Clearinghouse found that enrollment at vocational schools climbed 16% last year.
While Millennials were more inclined to go to college, that attitude is no longer the case with Gen Z.
A recent New America poll found that 54% of Gen Zers now believe a high school diploma is enough to get a good-paying job.
According to a Gallup survey, 46% of parents now prefer their children take an alternative path to a traditional four-year college.
Still work to be done to rebuild the skilled trade workforce
Even with enrollment climbing in training for the trades, the country is still facing a major shortage of skilled workers.
For example, more electricians and welders are retiring than there are new workers entering those professions.
The construction industry now faces a shortage of nearly half a million workers.
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), some trades are now selling their careers as future-proof.
Superior Construction CEO Nick Largura told Axios that his company is gaining more Gen Z workers.
“That is the pivotal moment when people are really trying to figure out what they want to do, and if you can show them a promising future in that time, you can really make a difference,” Largura said.
He’s selling Gen Z workers on construction careers in part by noting how it’s a field that won’t be replaced by AI.
Producing new workers in skilled trades to fill the gap by retiring baby boomers will be crucial to keeping the country functioning.
This makes Mike Rowe smile.
But Joe Biden and the Democrats will hate it.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.