Forget college. When it comes to finding the next generation of workers, many companies are skipping universities and going right to high school campuses. The Wall Street Journal reports on the growing trend of high schoolers with full-time job offers in the skilled trades. One 17-year-old welding student in Pennsylvania says he already has a $68,000 job waiting for him when he graduates next year. Even students who don't have a job offer in high school are increasingly choosing vocational or trade schools in lieu of chasing an expensive four-year degree.
The shortage of skilled labor in the U.S. has been growing for years, but accelerated recently with the mass retirement of baby boomers. That has prompted companies to partner with high schools for trade programs that recruit and develop the next generation of trade workers. Mike Rowe, former host of "Dirty Jobs" and longtime trade work advocate, gives out scholarships to trade school students through his MikeRoweWorks program. Rowe recently told Fox Business this is what the future of the American job market looks like. "We have relied too heavily on credentials, and we often overlook the people who are in fact the most qualified to help us close the skills gap, which is very real," he said.
"We have seven million jobs open right now," he continued. "Most of them don't require a four-year degree, many of them pay six figures."
Some of the high school trade students who spoke with the Wall Street Journal said they feel like athletes being recruited by pro teams. Rowe expects this trend to continue, based on the growing shortage of skilled labor. "Just in the automotive industry, they've got 67,000 openings right now for skilled tradesmen...they can't find them," he told Fox. "This is the year we're gonna be talking about what is happening in terms of this recruiting crisis. The chickens are coming home to roost."