America needs more skilled trade workers, here’s what’s being done about it

(NewsNation) — America needs more skilled trade workers and data suggests states have taken notice.

Last year, 47 states enacted 115 policies related to Career and Technical Education (CTE), according to Advance CTE, a nonprofit that represents state CTE directors.

Those efforts have expanded work-based learning opportunities and funding for job training programs that go beyond the traditional high school and college learning model.

Chris Cuomo brought on a “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe for a special edition of [CUOMO] focused on elevating and encouraging blue-collar jobs. Watch the full episode here.

The recent push suggests states realize more needs to be done to address a decades-long turn away from vocational education, which has led to a shortage of skilled tradespeople.

Shop classes that used to be common in American high schools have dwindled. From 1982 to 2013, the number of CTE credits earned by high school students fell by more than 26%.

“There’s a real disconnect between the focus that we’ve placed on our education and training systems around college for all and how much economic opportunity is available through the skilled trades right now,” said Zack Mabel, a research professor at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

Boosting the skilled trade workforce will be especially important as more opportunities become available due to federal legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act, Mabel pointed out.

What’s being done to address the labor shortage?

Some states are addressing the skilled trade workers shortage by passing laws that would make learning opportunities more accessible.

Last year, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law establishing a state apprenticeship office to make it easier for residents to obtain “portable” and “transferrable” credentials in high-demand careers. The office also aims to make programs involving high school students more efficient.

In Arkansas, the recently passed LEARNS Act gives students the option to earn a high school diploma through a “career-ready pathway.” The requirements — which are still being developed — will include “modern career and technical studies” that are aligned with “high-wage” and “high-growth” jobs in the state, according to the law.

Ohio has started distributing grants totaling almost $200 million through the state’s new Career Technical Construction Program, which will expand career technical education across the state.

Others are trying to make it easier for tradespeople to get experience on the job.

To address a plumber shortage in the state, lawmakers in Louisiana are considering a bill that would loosen regulatory restrictions. The effort would allow tradesman plumbers to perform more work independently without direct supervision from a master plumber, the Louisiana Illuminator reported.

There’s also been a federal push to make job training programs more accessible. House lawmakers recently introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow students to apply for Pell Grants for short-term workforce programs. 

“America has always been a skills-based economy, so it’s critical that we retool the Pell Grant to match the education needs of both students and employers,” Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, said in a statement.

Combatting trade career stigma remains a challenge

For decades, Americans have viewed a college degree as the gold standard for workers — a sure path to a better life. As attitudes toward higher education changed, a negative stigma around trade careers became prevalent.

“We have created a perception that if you’re not pursuing a four-year college degree, you are not setting yourself up for economic success and that is certainly not the case,” said Mabel.

To change that perception, Mabel said it’s important to expose young people to opportunities in trade occupations early on. He thinks that will require a much more robust career counseling system across the U.S.

Other school districts are combatting stigma by holding career signing days that celebrate high schoolers heading into the skilled trades. It’s an opportunity to honor those students with the same fanfare that’s typically associated with future college athletes.

Joseph Ramirez, a welder who decided against a four-year college degree, said on NewsNation’s Morning in America Tuesday, that going into the trades opened new doors and helped him avoid student loan debt.

“Compared to the four-year degree, it was a 20-week program, 450 class hours where we’re doing theory-based training, we’re in a welding booth practicing with competent people that have real-world experience,” Ramirez said.

There are some signs the skilled trades are starting to see a broader resurgence.

In 2023, the number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% to its highest level since 2018, according to the National Student Clearinghouse data.

Nationally, the number of active apprentices has more than doubled since 2014, although the U.S. lags far behind other developed countries like Germany and Canada.

Surveys suggest the vaunted Bachelor’s Degree is starting to lose its luster. Last year, a Wall Street Journal/NORC poll found 56% of adults think a four-year college is “not worth the cost.” Americans’ confidence in higher education has also dropped and nearly half of parents would like to see more noncollege alternatives.

Several major companies have eliminated degree requirements in recent years. A study from The Burning Glass Institute found the share of jobs requiring a college degree fell from 51% in 2017 to 44% in 2022.