Dirty Jobs Mike Rowe Testifies Before Congress
Click on the link below to watch Mike Row's speech...
Manufacturing Our Way to a Stronger Economy
Rowe noted in his testimony that manufacturers in the United States can't fill 200,000 jobs, and that "there are 450,000 openings in the trades, transportation and utilities."
A lot of U.S. skilled tradesmen are only about a decade from retirement, and there aren't young people coming up behind them to take their places, Rowe noted.
"In high schools, the vocational arts have all but vanished. We’ve elevated the importance of 'higher education' to such a lofty perch that all other forms of knowledge are now labeled 'alternative.' Millions of parents and kids see apprenticeships and on-the-job-training opportunities as 'vocational consolation prizes,' best suited for those not cut out for a four-year degree," Rowe said.
