Mike Rowe: US ‘obsessed with qualifications, certifications'
(NewsNation) — Skilled trade jobs are in high demand, but the supply of workers remains low.
'This country has become so obsessed with qualifications and certifications,' 'Dirty Jobs' host Mike Rowe said during a Thursday appearance on NewsNation's 'On Balance.' 'That's what people are exhausted with. We're desperate to hear something that makes sense.'
His foundation mikeroweWORKS aims to give away $3 million to help train the next generation of skilled trade workers.
Depending on the industry and program, trade school can be relatively faster and more affordable way to break into a career than college. But hard work goes into mastering a trade.
MikeroweWORKS Foundation scholarship recipient Sean Kelly described his five-year plumbing apprenticeship as 'the most difficult thing I have ever done in my entire life.'
Kelly wanted to be an organic farmer, but after interning on three farms over five years, he decided he needed to change course. He was working in a butcher's shop when the plumber who would become his instructor for the next five years told him how much money he could earn in the industry.
'I had to show up for day school,' Kelly said. 'I had to show up for work. I had to show up for night school, and by the time I earned my journeyman license, I had a deep sense of pride for what I do as a living.'
NewsNation's Katie Smith contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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