Mike Rowe is best known for touring the country to expose the most dangerous and disgusting, yet vital, jobs that American workers perform daily. On his Discovery Channel television show, Dirty Jobs, Rowe doubles as host and apprentice as he tries to take on the duties of various hands-on positions.
Rowe added “skills training advocate†to his list of jobs last week, as he testified in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
During his testimony, Rowe stated that, “In a hundred different ways, we have slowly marginalized an entire category of critical professions, reshaping our expectations of a ‘good job’ into something that no longer looks like work.†He emphasized that the skills gap is widening and will only grow without increased training for workers. As droves of older workers retire, fewer skilled workers are prepared to fill the vacancies left behind.
Rowe’s testimony coincided with the release of a new multimedia initiative developed by Rowe and Discovery Communications. Discover Your Skills will help address the skills gap by providing employment and job skills resources for unemployed and underemployed individuals.
Click here to view the Senate hearing.
Tags: Congress, Job training, Mike Rowe, skills gap