America’s Favorite “Dirty Jobs Guy” Highlights SkillsUSA as a Skills Gap Solution
SkillsUSA was featured on national morning show “Fox and Friends” on June 21 in a segment featuring Mike Rowe, proponent of the skilled trades who is working to highlight career and technical education as an alternative to the four-year degree.
In the segment, Mike Rowe talked with anchors Ainsley Earhardt and Steve Doocy about his involvement with the 2017 SkillsUSA Championships in Louisville. “It’s a very big deal. Once a year we try to come and shed light on this. It’s huge! If we focus on this organization it’s our best hope of closing the skills gap.”
The Mike Rowe Foundation is in its seventh year of support for SkillsUSA. The mikeroweWORKS Foundation focuses on students working toward careers in manufacturing, construction, automotive technology and other STEM-related occupations. The 2017 scholarship fund assisted approximately 100 students. Since 2011, the mikeroweWORKS Foundation has provided travel scholarships to nearly 400 SkillsUSA students, representing an investment of over $365,000 in America’s future skilled workforce.
“The skills gap is not only real, it’s a reflection of what we value,” said Mike Rowe. “To close the gap, we need to change the way the country feels about work. My foundation supports SkillsUSA because it celebrates the kind of skills that are actually in demand. Through excellence and competition, SkillsUSA encourages real-world training, and in the process, lays the foundation for thousands of careers in the skilled trades. SkillsUSA works.”
“The mikeroweWORKS Foundation and its partners the Charles Koch Foundation and Koch Industries came to Louisville this week to support America’s future skilled workforce and these deserving students,” said SkillsUSA’s executive director, Tim Lawrence. “Our students are grateful for every opportunity to showcase their skills these industry partners.”
See the full interview, below:
About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a vital solution to the growing U.S. skills gap. This nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry ensures America has the skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive. Founded in 1965 and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education, the association serves more than 335,000 member students and instructors each year in middle schools, high schools and colleges. This diverse talent pipeline covers 130 trade, technical and skilled service occupations, the majority STEM-related. More than 600 corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions actively support SkillsUSA at the national level. SkillsUSA programs are integrated into career and technical education through a framework of personal, workplace and technical skills grounded in academics. Local, state and national championships, designed and judged by industry, set relevant standards for career and technical education and provide needed recognition to its students. SkillsUSA also offers technical skill assessments and other workplace credentials. For more information, go to: www.SkillsUSA.org.
About the mikeroweWORKS Foundation
The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works hard to debunk myths about the skilled trades and help close the skills gap. As CEO of the Foundation, Mike Rowe speaks regularly about the country’s dysfunctional relationship with work and challenges the persistent belief that a four-year degree is automatically the best path for the most people. Through its scholarship programs, including the Work Ethic Scholarship Program and the SkillsUSA Travel Scholarships, the Foundation provides financial assistance to people getting trained for skilled jobs that are in demand. The Foundation has granted, or facilitated the granting of, nearly $5 million in education for trade schools across the country. For more information, go to: www.mikeroweworks.org.
About the Charles Koch Foundation
Charles G. Koch has supported research and educational programs focused on improving human well-being for more than 50 years. The Charles Koch Foundation supports more than 300 universities and colleges across the country, supporting scholars and universities interested in advancing an understanding of the link between free societies and well-being. The foundation also provides students resources to further their educational opportunities and career development. For more information, visit: www.charleskochfoundation.org.
About Koch Industries, Inc.
Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America with estimated annual revenues as high as $100 billion, according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control equipment and technologies; electronics; information systems; commodity trading; minerals; energy; glass; ranching; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $80 billion in acquisitions and other capital expenditures. With a presence in about 60 countries, Koch companies employ more than 120,000 people worldwide, with about 70,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 1,200 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service. For more news and stories, visit: www.kochnews.com.
SkillsUSA Headquarters will be closed for winter break from Monday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Jan. 3. During this time, the Career Essentials and Educational Resources stores will also be closed.
SkillsUSA instructors are among 25 outstanding teachers from 19 states who are winners for the 2024 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. In total, $1.5 million in cash prizes were awarded to the teachers and their programs.
