The real problem that seizes rural America and the jobs of the future: a sitdown between Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” and a CEO of Top Labor Analytics

This reality hit the Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh harsh last month, organized by Senator Dave McCormick, the president of Carnegie Mellon Farnam Jahanian, and a remarkable list of business leaders, industry leaders and federal secretaries of the cabinet. The Pennsylvania is at the center of this future – with the shale Marcellus, head universities and advanced manufacturing centers supplying some of the country’s most ambitious energy projects.

While the titles celebrated $ 90 billion in private investments for energy and data infrastructure, they have missed the biggest history: the federal government finally reduces the paperwork holding 1 billion of dollars of deadlines – but we do not have enough workers to build them.

History extends far beyond Pittsburgh. In the rural counties of the Appalachians in the Midwest, new data centers, logistics poles and energy projects take place only for land – only to run the same roadblock: too few workers to do the work. The United States faced a planned shortfall of 6 million workers over the next decade. Lightcast data shows that there are currently 1 million job opening in construction, manufacturing, transport and storage. Worse still, 24 million people in the job market today are over 60 years old and approach retirement, with important parties of these quickly aging industries, creating a pipeline of dangerously thin talent as well as demand.

The shortages are double. In rural regions, the roles not fulfilled in construction, health care, transport and storage constitute almost one in four audiences, threatening to block the very projects stimulating the growth of America. At the same time, the AI ​​economy opens new doors: more than 15% of IT and IT publications are distant, proving that millions of high -value digital work can be carried out from anywhere. Together, these realities indicate a future where American workforce must be both locally rooted and digital connected.

Mike Rowe, founder of the Mikeroweworks Foundation, said to me:

“The future of AI demands that we are invigorating the skilled trades – immediately – and filling the gap in skills in America. If we cannot build it, wire and maintain it, we cannot have it. ”

He also reminded the public in Pennsylvania:

“We withdrew the store’s store lessons and convinced a whole generation, they needed a four -year degree to succeed, regardless of the cost. It was a big mistake. Welding, plumbing and electrical work is not only viable – they are vital. And the shortages in these areas are acute. ”

The return to the participation rates of the year 2000 could add millions of workers, but the Lightcast analysis projects that by 2033, the number of young people entering the labor market will drop by 2 million. The increase in participation in rural counties could in itself add hundreds of thousands of new workers, directly strengthening the basis of talents for energy, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

So who will build the future of America’s AI?

The BluePrint: America Talent Strategy

If we are serious about filling this gap, we need more than good intentions – we need a system that works on difficult, current and shared data. The August 12 announcement of the American talent strategy offers a framework of five pillars to align industry, education and labor systems for the AI ​​era.

At the heart of this system is a dynamic and shared language – a set of living data that reflects what employers really need, week per week, in all industries and regions. Without this, companies cannot clearly report demand, educators cannot adapt quickly enough and workers cannot see the way to follow. For rural communities, this language of skills is even more critical: it not only makes intermediate skills jobs, but also links workers to distant and hybrid careers, allowing them to contribute to the EC economy without leaving their native cities.

It is not a theory. Lightcast has created the universal standard for skills. In Texas, a platform for corresponding employment on the scale of the State built on this common skills language, now links residents directly to careers on demand, actively fill the gap in the jobs of intermediate competence, which represent 56% of employment, while only 45% of the workforce is formed to fill them. In Prince George County, our data on the labor market in real time have contributed to increasing internships by more than 70%. These examples show what is happening when the “skills market” becomes visible: people and programs move faster and the results follow.

This is the difference between a plan on paper and a workforce that is ready for the next one. Dynamic and proven skills data make pillars of talent strategy – i. Alignment of industry, II. Mobility of workers, III. Integrated systems, IV. responsibility, and c. Innovation – Work in the real world.

Hidden gems: community college and business schools

The infrastructure is there – Lightcast data show that more than 1,300 American establishments offer qualified commercial programs capable of training at least one million new entrants over the next five years. Many of these community colleges are rural anchors, often the largest local employers themselves, and they are positioned to train the next generation of workers compatible with AI if they receive the funding and the recognition they deserve. Learning can help fill the void and the federal government finally reduces administrative formalities to retain them.

Countries like Germany have proven that qualified specialists can be exceptionally trained, well paid and very respected. With the proper execution of the talent strategy – powerful by the intelligence of skills in real time – we can do the same here, more quickly.

Rowe adds a reminder:

“A renaissance in qualified professions requires an underlying assessment for the work itself. We must show children that a qualified profession is no less appreciated than a graduate of the Ivy League. Even more, even. ”

The workers were looking for: honoring work and the worker

The MikeruWeWorks Foundation has long pleaded to honor the work of the blue passes. With Lightcast, they call for a medal of honor for presidential workforce to celebrate those who unlock the power of American workers.

This work can involve more robotics, software and compatible tools AI, but all the money, energy and chips in the world cannot make America brilliant without the big American worker: AI compatible, propelled by a robot and ready to swing a hammer. Increasingly, these workers are equally likely to be rural welders, electricians or coders who connect from small cities as urban professionals.

As Rowe says:

“Technology alone has not built America – trades have done.

Without daring action on the development of the workforce, the $ 90 billion in investment may block. But if we give workers the data, the training and the recognition they deserve, we can fill millions of unsuccessful jobs and prevent the shortages of labor from paralyzing the future of America.

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