Carhartt CEO says schools fail to guide students toward high-paying trade careers

A new report from the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades, backed by firms including Ford, Carhartt, BlackRock, Google, Meta, Microsoft and The Hershey Company, warns of a widening gap between trade job openings—estimated at 1.7 million per year through 2035—and the supply of qualified workers, which currently meets only 55% of demand. Carhartt CEO Linda Hubbard, raised in a blue-collar family, said students often lack clear pathways into trades, noting that fewer than half of apprenticeship starters complete their training and only 29% are employed in a trade within five years.

She pointed to barriers like unreliable transportation and childcare, but stressed that high-school counselors rarely recommend vocational schools or apprenticeships, even though 95% view trade education positively. Trades can pay 32% more than non-college jobs and offer routes to entrepreneurship, though they still face stigma and physical demands. TV host Mike Rowe, a longtime advocate for trades, echoed the urgency, citing data-center projects that pay electricians six-figure salaries and urging young people to consider all options rather than defaulting to traditional college routes.