'It's Only a Matter of National Security': America's Workforce Academy's Mission to Fill the Gap |
Mike Rowe has been on a lonely mission. For two decades, he has been raising the alarm.
Rowe has been warning anyone who would listen that our skills gap in the trades was widening to a chasm so large that the economic effect on U.S. manufacturing companies, in particular auto and steel industries but also defense, construction and energy sectors, was going to be nothing short of catastrophic.
Few listened. Rowe appeared before Congress. Twice. He sent an open letter to then-President Barack Obama. Crickets. Nonetheless, Rowe persisted. His alarm bells were not hyperbole. In fact, the gap has continued to widen. Last week, the Tech Times reported that the construction sector alone needs 349,000 net new workers just to keep pace with demand in 2026.
In April, the property services firm JLL issued a report showing that by 2030, 2.1 million skilled trades positions for electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, welders, pipe fitters and equipment operators were at a high risk of going unfilled. These are the key jobs needed to build homes, offices, buildings, energy infrastructure and artificial intelligence data power centers.
Some raw facts from the American Builders and Contractors Association are even more chilling: 39% of electricians in this country were 45 years old or older. Another disturbing stat: For every five plumbers leaving the workforce, only two apprentices are entering. As baby boomers age out, the industry faces an estimated shortage of up to 550,000 plumbers, according to the Merrow Report.
Same with auto mechanics. Currently, the United States is facing a shortage of 600,000 auto mechanics, according to that same report.
All these shortages are creating a downward and slippery slope for both consumers and builders alike, including higher costs and growing safety risks. And it creates wait times for services that extend beyond days into weeks, months and even years for larger projects.
Dina Powell McCormick, president of Meta, said that she first saw the impact of this escalating problem when she joined her husband, Sen. David McCormick, a Pittsburgh Republican, when he was running for office in 2022 and 2024.
Both listened to the growing concerns of small, medium and large business owners of manufacturing facilities and their worries over the expanding skills trade gap.
Last year, Rowe spoke at the Energy Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, the first of its kind in bringing leaders and workers in the trades together with the intellectual capital at........