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Mike Rowe hosted the show Dirty Jobs, in which he worked various difficult, unusual, and sometimes messy blue-collar jobs alongside real workers to honor hard work and vocational skills.
Rowe founded the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, a non-profit that awards work ethic scholarships to people pursuing careers in skilled trades.
Rowe’s core message argues that a four-year degree is not the only path to success and that skilled trades offer stable, high-paying careers without massive student debt.
Questions
1. Define the following as used in Stuart Varney’s FoxBusiness interview with Mike Rowe:
- modern blue collar job
- skilled worker
- tradespeople
- reshoring
2. How many skilled workers does the auto industry need today?
3. How many electricians are needed just by companies connected to the investment firm Blackrock?
4. a) What is the U.S. Maritime Industrial Base?
b) How many skilled workers is the U.S. Maritime industrial base currently looking to hire?
5. How many new jobs in manufacturing does Mike Rowe say will be created over the next couple of years if President Trump succeeds in his reshoring efforts?
6. Google notes: The manufacturing sector is currently facing a massive labor shortage, with millions of jobs expected to go unfilled due to retirements, reshoring efforts, and a lack of workers with modern technical skills. The highest demand is concentrated on skilled roles that blend mechanical expertise with digital literacy, robotics, and automation.
How many manufacturing jobs does Rowe say are currently open?
7. What two benefits to blue collar jobs vs. white collar jobs did Stuart Varney describe?
8. What category of jobs is the least likely to be disrupted by AI, according to Mike Rowe?
9. What points does Rowe make about the way we train the next generation of skilled workers?
10. Mr. Varney asks: “I see a bias against blue collar jobs … parents want their kids to go to the office and not the factory. Is that bias still there? Can it be changed at all?”
Mr. Rowe concludes by saying “When you show people a straight path to an AI-proof six figure job that doesn’t take any debt, they listen.”
a) What do you think? Should students research and consider the types of jobs available in the skilled blue collar jobs (manufacturing/construction/Maritime Industrial etc.)? Explain your answer.
b) Would you consider a skilled worker job of the type described in the video and questions above? Explain your answer.
c) Ask a parent the same question.
Background
Read More young Americans choosing skilled trades over college (Oct. 2025)
Watch a 2019 video of Mike Rowe: “Don’t follow your passion“
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