I began this post with the intention of thanking the many supporters of mikeroweWORKS for their incredible generosity but got distracted by a few statistics in the attached article. Perhaps they will distract you, as well, along with the rest of the country.
• Two-thirds (66%) of Americans who lost their full-time job during the pandemic say they are only somewhat active or not very active at all in searching for a new job.
• About half (49%) are not willing to take jobs that do not offer the opportunity for remote work.
• More than a quarter (26%) say it will never again be essential for them to return to work.
• Almost a quarter (24%) say government aid packages during the pandemic have incentivized them to not actively look for work.
On top of these recent revelations, is another statistic that’s been with us for nearly a decade, and can no longer be ignored. For every five baby boomers who leave the workforce, two come in. That’s a 5:2 ratio, and it’s even worse in the trades. Today, the average age of a skilled tradesperson in America is 55. There’s not a single construction company that isn’t desperate to hire skilled workers, or train those who are willing to learn.
The jobs are clearly there – over 8 million of them, waiting to be filled. But who is willing? How can we inspire the next generation to roll up their sleeves and learn a skill that’s in demand? How can we make a more persuasive case for a career in the trades?
These were the questions that led me to start mikeroweWORKS 16 years ago, and my answer today is no different than it was then – better PR. The trades are, inexplicably, surrounded by stigmas, stereotypes, myths, and misperceptions that have kept millions of kids from giving them an honest look. And to be clear, these myths and misperceptions were not fostered by our kids. Gen Z wasn’t born with the belief that the skilled trades are beneath them, or that they can’t make six figures working with their hands. They had to be taught that nonsense, just as they had to be taught that an expensive four-year degree was the only way to live a prosperous life. The result? $1.6 trillion in student loans, millions open positions that don’t require a university credential, and a workforce that’s becoming smaller and less skilled with every passing year.
I know I’m a broken record on all this, but I only mention it now because this article reminded me that Dirty Jobs was, first and foremost, a love letter to American work ethic. I visited every state half a dozen times on that show, worked as an apprentice on hundreds of jobs, and listened to lots of small business owners talk about “the war on work,” and the widening skills gap, and the increasing difficulty of finding workers with an enthusiasm for the trades, or a willingness to work.
Back in 2005, a farmer in Indiana said, “Something is broken, Mike. Our country is encouraging all the wrong things. We’re making work the enemy.”
In Ohio, a 50-year-old foreman on a construction site pointed to his crew and said, “These guys are the best. Too bad they’re all older than me.” That was in 2006.
In 2007, I met a septic tank cleaner in Kentucky who was nearly 60, and worth several million dollars. When I asked him why he still worked six days a week, ten hours a day, he said, “Because I love to work, Mike. I just love it. Ain’t no other reason.”
Those comments, and hundreds of others like them, inspired me to launch a non-profit foundation whose purpose was to reinvigorate the skilled trades and elevate the American work ethic. That was the goal of mikeroweWORKS in 2008, and that’s our goal today. And so, before I thank our generous supporters for allowing me to award over $12 million in work ethic scholarships to over 2,000 recipients, I want to remind everyone, (myself included), that our scholarship program – now the largest of its kind – is not the main purpose of this foundation. Because the truth is, no matter how many people we assist, scholarships alone will not reinvigorate the trades on a national level. We need to more. A lot more.
Moving forward, mikeroweWORKS will continue to award work ethic scholarships to qualified applicants and help as many people as we can get the training we need. But now, I’m recommitting myself and this foundation to the business of sharing those stories with the largest audience possible. True stories of regular Americans who have prospered by foregoing a mountain of college debt, mastering a skill that’s in demand, and applying those skills with a work ethic that we simply must encourage and reward at every turn. That’s how we reinvigorate the trades, and that’s why mikeroweWORKS exists.
Ain’t no other reason.
Having said all that, please join me in thanking this year’s key donors.
Ferguson
DEWALT
Tom and Marilyn Moyer Foundation
J&K Trash Removal
Charles Koch Foundation
Stand Together
Williams
American Giant
Moen
Senox Corporation
Ron Kall and Gavin de Becker
I also want to thank the DAV for helping us promote our scholarship program to veteran communities, and everyone on this page, who has supported us since 2008 in so many different ways. Including all those who purchased, (and enjoyed!) a bottle of Knobel Spirits Tennessee whiskey online. On behalf of everyone at mikeroweWORKS, and all the scholarship recipients, thanks very much.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Understanding America’s Labor Shortage
Mike’s Facebook Page