Last week, I had the opportunity to join FOX Business’ The Bottom Line to discuss the Workforce Pell Grant initiative and the future of skilled trades in America.
It was an important conversation because the future of this country quite literally depends on the skilled trades.
If you just look around, you’ll quickly realize the building blocks of modern life are the trades. Everything starts there.
Doctors, nurses, and medical professionals cannot deliver healthcare until skilled tradespeople build the hospitals and clinics where care happens. Manufacturers cannot produce heavy equipment, farming machinery, airplanes, or automobiles until electricians, welders, HVAC technicians, mechanics, and industrial workers build and maintain the facilities that power those industries.
There is no electricity.
No internet.
No transportation systems.
No clean water.
No infrastructure.
No homes, schools, or businesses.
Without the trades, we’d be living like nomads.
Yet for decades, we’ve undervalued these careers and unintentionally pushed an entire generation away from them. We told young people success only came through one path, while simultaneously overlooking the people who physically build and sustain our world every single day.
But that mindset is changing. And I believe we’re witnessing a major cultural shift.
Gen Z is recognizing something incredibly important: skilled trades are meaningful, essential, AI-resistant careers. They see that these professions offer purpose, stability, entrepreneurship opportunities, and real upward mobility…without requiring tens of thousands (if not more) of debt.
There’s a reason many are now calling Gen Z “The Tool Belt Generation.”
And frankly, I think they’re right.
As we move into a new era of innovation, the demand for skilled labor is only going to accelerate. America is entering one of the largest infrastructure and industrial expansion periods in modern history.
Just consider what’s ahead of us…
- Massive investments in manufacturing reshoring
- Expansion of energy infrastructure and electrification
- Growth of AI and data centers requiring enormous physical buildouts
- Aging infrastructure that must be rebuilt and modernized
- Continued housing shortages nationwide
- Transportation and logistics expansion
- Healthcare system growth to support an aging population
Every single one of these trends requires skilled tradespeople.
We know AI will transform nearly every industry, but I think it will make the trades even more valuable. While automation will likely replace some roles, the skilled trades will remain hands-on. They will still require adaptability, judgment, craftsmanship, critical thinking, and problem solving in dynamic environments.
It will be a long time (if ever) that AI will be able to walk into a home and troubleshoot a complex HVAC issue, especially with empathy and situational awareness. AI cannot completely replace the craftsmanship and precision required in welding, electrical work, or construction environments where conditions constantly change.
The future of the trades will absolutely include AI technology. But it will also require people who can build, repair, install, maintain, and innovate in the physical world.
That is why workforce education and trade schools matter so much.
Initiatives like Workforce Pell Grants represent an important step forward because they help expand access to short-term, high-quality training programs that prepare students for real careers in high-demand industries. We need education models that meet students where they are and align more directly with workforce needs.
At Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) and Delta Technical College (DTC), we see firsthand how career training can change lives. We see students discover confidence. We see parents create better futures for their families. We see graduates enter industries where their skills are respected, needed, and valued.
The trades are not a “backup plan.”
They are not “less than.”
They are essential.
And I believe the next generation understands that better than anyone.
The future of America will be built by skilled hands. And that future is already taking shape.
Trade schools benefiting from AI boom as Gen Z shifts to skilled trades - Brian Huff on FOX
Founder & CEO of Midwest Technical Institute (MTI) Brian Huff joined join The Bottom Line on FOX Business to discuss how the Workforce Pell Grant program is boosting trade school enrollment among Gen Z.
