Nearly 10 million jobs across America are still vacant because of society’s ‘harebrained’ decision

[rangerrebew]

 
Nearly 10 million jobs across America are still vacant because of society’s ‘harebrained’ decisions and college push, says ‘Dirty Jobs’ host Mike Rowe. Is there a solution for this crisis?
Story by Vishesh Raisinghani • 1d


As of July 2024, the American economy had 7.7 million job openings. This is up from less than 5 million a decade ago.

Mike Rowe, the well-known host of “Dirty Jobs” and “Somebody's Gotta Do It,” has an explanation for this growing skills gap.
 

In a recent interview on Dr. Phil's Merit Street show, Rowe said the pressure on young people to get expensive college degrees combined with the “harebrained” decision to pull shop class out of high school has resulted in an enormous debt burden and a widening skills gap.
 
Blue collar labor shortage
Rowe believes many of the vacant positions are for what he calls “dirty jobs” — blue collar work that requires training and experience in the trades rather than the traditional four-year college degree.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careers/nearly-10-million-jobs-across-america-are-still-vacant-because-of-society-s-harebrained-decisions-and-college-push-says-dirty-jobs-host-mike-rowe-is-there-a-solution-for-this-crisis/ar-AA1qPTBD?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=c9f3343eae6c45ffb050c4ba05954224&ei=58

[rangerrebew]

Not to worry, Mike!  Within a decade or two, a college education will be of no more value than a high school diploma and everyone will be a blue-collar worker.

[Smokin Joe]

The sad part about eliminating shop class wasn't the various projects that would be proudly displayed and then forgotten, but that those skills were not even touched on.

I have joined my (professional) mechanic friends in lamenting the places automotive engineers put things and how inordinately difficult they made even simple maintenance as a result. I have to think if those guys had had to pull a few wrenches in their day, maybe it would not be that way, but in the interim, vehicles have become incredibly more complex, and just diagnosing the problem can be complicated by sensor or computer malfunctions, not to mention the common short circuit caused by physical damage to a wire somewhere.

So I can see where the blue collar jobs of the future might involve a substantial education, and development of skills as well. Perhaps some dirt under some fingernails would have had more people using tools instead of stealing them--or looking down their noses at the people who use them to make a living.
And it might restore a little bit of the pride people once took in their craftsmanship.

[Kamaji]

The sad part about eliminating shop class wasn't the various projects that would be proudly displayed and then forgotten, but that those skills were not even touched on.

I have joined my (professional) mechanic friends in lamenting the places automotive engineers put things and how inordinately difficult they made even simple maintenance as a result. I have to think if those guys had had to pull a few wrenches in their day, maybe it would not be that way, but in the interim, vehicles have become incredibly more complex, and just diagnosing the problem can be complicated by sensor or computer malfunctions, not to mention the common short circuit caused by physical damage to a wire somewhere.

So I can see where the blue collar jobs of the future might involve a substantial education, and development of skills as well. Perhaps some dirt under some fingernails would have had more people using tools instead of stealing them--or looking down their noses at the people who use them to make a living.
And it might restore a little bit of the pride people once took in their craftsmanship.

 

Back in the day, when I used to do all of the maintenance on my own vehicles out of financial need, I used to dream about someday having enough money to buy control of a car manufacturer.  My dream was that, on my first day of ownership, I would order all the designers and engineers to show up in work clothes on the following Saturday.  On said day, each one would be presented with one of their products with a typical malfunction, a set of home mechanic's tools, and a limited budget at the local auto parts store.  They would then be told that they had until Monday morning to have the cars fixed so they could be driven to work, and anyone who failed to accomplish that result would be fired.

[Smokin Joe]

 

Back in the day, when I used to do all of the maintenance on my own vehicles out of financial need, I used to dream about someday having enough money to buy control of a car manufacturer.  My dream was that, on my first day of ownership, I would order all the designers and engineers to show up in work clothes on the following Saturday.  On said day, each one would be presented with one of their products with a typical malfunction, a set of home mechanic's tools, and a limited budget at the local auto parts store.  They would then be told that they had until Monday morning to have the cars fixed so they could be driven to work, and anyone who failed to accomplish that result would be fired.

I think that would be a great way to change some attitudes about how to construct things. Change the starter on a '78 Pinto, for instance (you have to unbolt one motor mount and jack the engine up to remove and replace it). That list could go on all day, and I'm sure we've confronted a lot of that sort of thing.