BIG night here in Hotlanta!
Skills USA convened for their annual National Leadership and Skills Competition – the largest celebration of the skilled trades in America. This week, a promising crop of young and aspiring tradespeople have gathered here from all over the country to see who’s the best in their chosen field. This is the third time I’ve been invited to speak at their opening ceremony, and it’s always a blast. Eighteen thousand people attended last night’s event, and I think I shook hands with most of them. Today, they’ll begin competing in their chosen vocations – everything from plumbing to the culinary arts, (which, now that I think about, are inherently linked.)
The competition in every vocation is intense, and a lot of fun to watch. But my favorite competition at these events is not between the students; it’s between the companies who sponsor the event itself. Dozens of highly recognizable corporations are on hand not only to encourage the competitors, but to hire them – in many cases, before the closing ceremonies. It’s like watching talent scouts at the All-Star game, fighting over the best prospects. Except the prospects here aren't baseball players. They're plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, welders, etc., and they're ALL in demand.
Consider the situation at Crash Champions Collision Repair. Over dinner, I asked their CEO, Matt Ebert, how many collision repair technicians he could hire today, if they showed up ready for work.
“Seven hundred,” he said. “Maybe more.”
“Damn,” I said. “How many to you hope to hire from this competition?”
“I’m shooting for a hundred,” he said. “But I’d be happy with fifty.”
That’s one CEO from one company, hoping to find the talent he needs in a convention center bursting with skill. What an inconvenient truth for all those who still maintain that opportunity is dead, and all the good jobs are gone. Thomas Edison was right. Opportunity is most often missed, because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work. It's great to see so many kids on the right track.
A special shout out to all the past mikeroweWORKS scholarship recipients in attendance, including the five who came by to say hello before I was called on stage. (No pressure, but there’s a long history of MRW work ethic scholarship recipients taking home the gold in their chosen vocations. Don’t let me down!)
Also, a nod to young Joseph, who stood in line for a half-hour to shake hands and made an impression.
Joseph: Hi, Mr. Rowe. My name is Joseph, and I just wanted to shake your hand and tell you that I really enjoyed your speech this evening.
Me: Thanks, Joseph. I’m glad.
Joseph: I was also wondering if you’d like to take a picture.
Me: Sure. There’s a professional photographer right there. I’m sure he’d be happy to do it.
Joseph: I’d really prefer it if you took my picture yourself.
Me: Fine. Give me your phone. I’ll take a picture.
With that, Joseph reached into the pocket of his red blazer and handed me a picture of himself.
“Here you go,” he said, before walking away with a grin.
I suspect Joseph will do well in the comedian competition…
PS. Speaking of mikeroweWORKS, we’re currently plowing through a record number of applications from this last enrollment period, and I’m pleased to report the extraordinary increase in volume has been matched by an extraordinary increase in quality applicants, along with an extraordinary level of support. Too early to say for sure, but it’s looking like we might be able to award $5 million in scholarships this year. That would be a milestone worth celebrating. More on that later.
Historic day for Nebraska Wrestling. Led by Coach Manning’s relentless pursuit to be the best and a squad that fought their asses off, we accomplished something never before done in program history. 8 AAs, 3 Finalists, 2 Champs, and a runner-up TEAM Trophy! I LOVE this TEAM. GBR!
I know a lot of people in Nebraska love hoops, but @loperwrestling and @HuskerWrestling are special. D2 national champs and in a great spot for D1 top 2 finish. Fantastic effort to all wrestlers and coaches of those two programs
Central City’s Ace 🃏
Ace Schweitzer (@ace_schweitzer) gives the Bison a #nebpreps Class B state finalist at 106 pounds 🦬
The freshman phenom is continuing the @ccbisonwrestle tradition of excellence 🤼♂️
More: https://t.co/bm7nhMoq9F
No, Nebraska volleyball didn’t schedule a mid-January match.
We’re here at the Devaney Center for Nebraska wrestling vs. No. 1 Penn State.
This place is absolutely packed. A near sell-out crowd. I’ll have coverage for @HuskerOnline from the dual, stay tuned. #huskers
Don't let what you see on social media skew your view of humanity.
Most bad behavior is due to a few bad apples:
• Just 3% of active users are toxic, but they generate 33% of online content
• 1% of communities launch 74% of conflict
• 0.1% of users spread 80% of fake news
@jayvanbavel https://t.co/tSstCxDIYL
Mike Rowe: “You don’t have to be an economist to look around and see $1.7 trillion in outstanding student loans on the books [and] 10 million open jobs, most of which don’t require a 4-year degree but training.”
“Once upon a time, we had this thing in school called shop class.
I can’t think of a dumber thing in the history of modern education than removing shop class from high school.
But we didn’t just flip the switch. It used to be called the vocational arts. The first thing we did was we changed the name, we took the art out of it.
We promoted one form of education at the expense of all the others. It wasn’t just enough to say, ‘go get a 4-year degree, go be a doctor, go be an engineer.’
What we started telling kids was, ‘if you don’t do that, you’re gonna get stuck turning a wrench,’ or some sort of vocational consolation prize.
That was a powerful message, it was a damning message, it resonated with a whole generation of kids.
It’s pressing, because we’re still lending money we don’t have to kids who are never gonna be able to pay it back to train them for a bunch of jobs that, frankly, aren’t in demand anymore.
I’ve done a million [3-5 minute segments]. The fact that you guys are gonna spend an hour talking about this, that’s the beginning.”
From Chris Cuomo on NewsNation
Ace’s youth Folkstyle career has officially ended, as one chapter closes another one opens and he is excited for FRECO and High School. The kid continues to exceed my expectations both on and off the mat. Congratulations @ace_schweitzer so proud of you!