Growing up, we were told to go to college. The only way anyone who worked with their hands earned respect was by owning their own business. No one starts out there, though, which means that people who go into skilled trades need to want that work for some reason, and from back in my day, that wasn’t attractive in the least.

Photo by Ryno Marais on Unsplash

So, more and more people got pushed into college. We were told that college was the answer to a better future for us, and were show how, on average, college grads made more than non-college grads.

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But we were sold on a lie.

In addition to thousands upon thousands going to college each year to study some inane subjects and thinking they’re entitled to a well-paying job upon graduation with a degree in lesbian fruit bat studies, many of them take out loans that will never be repaid.

Meanwhile, the lie we were sold means a lot of people missed out on good opportunities.

America’s economic future depends on its skilled trades workforce. More than 18 million people work in these occupations, contributing an estimated $3.8 trillion to U.S. GDP in 2025. As investments and technological change reshape demand and experienced workers retire, strengthening this workforce is a national priority.

Meeting that demand requires more than recruiting people or adding training seats. The State of America’s Skilled Trades establishes a national benchmark for understanding where the workforce is strong, where it is under pressure, and what it will take to build capacity for the future.

The report identifies five key findings:

- Demand is substantial, and preparation is not keeping pace with growth and replacement needs. Employers will need to fill approximately 1.7 million openings annually. Nearly one in four workers is 55 or older, and measurable formal pathways prepare roughly 55 people for every 100 workers needed.

…

- Skilled trades workers enter through multiple pathways, but hands-on learning in the workplace is essential. Postsecondary education, Registered Apprenticeship, employer-led on-the-job training, and direct entry all play important roles. In occupations representing roughly two-thirds of skilled trades employment, work itself is part of the typical preparation or entry pathway.
- Too many potential workers are lost between preparation and careers. Among every 100 apprenticeship starters, 48 complete and 29 enter a trade occupation within five years of leaving the apprenticeship. Among related postsecondary program entrants, 48 complete and 34 work in a skilled trade.

So we’ve got a problem, and there’s one particular bottleneck that we should start with.

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