have an underlying appreciation for the work—if you’re not talking about jobs that people affirmatively aspire to—you’re gonna be pushing the boulder up the hill.” Rowe took his message to Congress in 2017—
articulating that the skills gap will never close until the perception is corrected. “When we took shop class out of high school, we sent an unmistakable message to an entire generation of students—that a whole category of jobs was simply not desirable. Is it any wonder those are the very jobs that go begging today?” He emphasized, “We need an educational system
that re-embraces and reaffirms the importance of the vocational arts.” To Rowe’s point, many industry experts point to the
removal of shop and related technical classes from schools over the last two decades—combined with the rise in technology and an increased cultural emphasis on tech jobs—as the primary catalyst for the decline in interest and participation in the skilled trades.
EARLY AND OFTEN Ken Simonson, chief economist at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), recently pointed out:
“Considering how much the nation’s educational focus has moved away from teaching students career and technical skills during the past few decades, it’s easy to understand why the construction industry is facing such severe labor shortages. Too few students are getting exposed to construction careers or being provided with the basic skills needed to be prepared for such a career.” Continuing to build on what Rowe stressed to Congress
by hosting and/or injecting themselves into career fairs, establishing relationships with local public and vocational schools, and working with just about any workforce development program that targets potential skilled trade workers, industry companies should be putting themselves in front of the problem early and often. Tat said, young people today seem to gravitate
towards two prevailing concepts when looking at potential careers: fulfillment and finances. Te fulfillment piece can be read quite a few different
ways, but rest assured some categories beneath that header include: steady feedback and encouragement, project variety, consistent training, a tech-savvy and diverse workplace, and growth opportunities. Zeynep Ton, a professor of operations management
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE MARCH–APRIL 2019 33
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