Mike Rowe
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Watch: Mike Rowe has a plan for congress about how to fill 5.6 million jobs
February 28, 2017
Former host of "Dirty Jobs," and purveyor of blue collar wisdom Mike Rowe testified before Congress on Tuesday to speak about the importance of those many dirty jobs that are available, but Americans don't seem to be around to fill.
Appearing on "Fox and Friends," host Brian Kilmeade asked Rowe what his message to Congress was going to be.
"I'm gonna to speak in a crisp, well modulated baritone, I'm gonna make eye contact, I'm gonna shake a hand firmly," joked Rowe.
"And I'm gonna suggest that the skills gap is every bit as important as unemployment and the presence of 5.6 million available jobs right now that people don't seem excited about," he continued.
"The best way to close that skills gap is to affirmatively make a persuasive case for opportunities that actually exist," he added.
Rowe went on to talk about how learning blue collar skills actually teaches you more than just that skill, and how these underappreciated, and under-romanticized jobs give you a larger sense of completion.
"My message today in a nutshell is if you want to make America great again, you have to make work cool again," said Rowe.
Indeed, this message from Rowe may be desperately needed. Recent studies have found that the labor market is severely lacking in skilled workers. In fact, millennials are reportedly making less than their parents were around the same age due to the fact that they are drowning in student debt as they take low paying jobs, waiting for a position to open up in the field they got their degree in. Due to the high influx of workers for romanticized white collar jobs, many graduates apply for a limited amount of openings.
Meanwhile, over 5 million careers that pay decent money such as mechanic, welder, etc, go completely unfilled.
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