Blue-collar jobs are unfilled, but young Americans don't have skills

Skilled blue-collar workers are in short supply, says economist Ron Hetrick of Lightcast.“We spent three generations telling everybody that if they didn’t go to college, they are a loser. Now we are paying for it. We still need people to use their hands.”

About 400,000 manufacturing jobs are currently unfilled, reports Farah Stockman in the New York Times. If more jobs return to the U.S., the gaps will grow.

High-school graduates need training to learn high-tech manufacturing jobs. Many underemployed college graduates also don't have the right skills.

The Business Roundtable is looking for ways "to attract and retain a new generation of workers in skilled trades," writes Stockman.

“For every 20 job postings that we have, there is one qualified applicant right now,” said David Gitlin of Carrier Global, which produces and services heating and cooling equipment. AI has increased the demand for technicians to serve cooling systems at data centers. The industry has 425,000 technicians now, and will need to double that in the next 10 years, he predicted.

Immigrants working in construction and the food industry need "a clear path for citizenship," said Peter J. Davoren, a construction executive.

The Trump administration's Make America Skilled Again initiative consolidates existing work force training programs, writes Stockman. At least 10 percent of funding must be spent on apprenticeships. President Trump's goal is to create one million apprenticeships.

Young Americans and their parents are very enthusiastic about apprenticeships. But programs require much more collaboration between employers, community college and high schools than we've ever seen before.