Why America Needs a New Public Education Campaign to Build the Skilled Trades Pipeline

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

All over the country, millions of young people are searching for pathways to stable, rewarding careers.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

There's a massive opportunity for them to fill an estimated 2.1 million skilled trades positions that will be open by 2030.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

The consequence of these jobs remaining unfilled is significant: The labor shortage could cost the U.S. economy as much as $1 trillion annually by the end of the decade.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

So why aren't more young people pursuing these careers?

This past summer, Ford Motor Company came to the Ad Council Research Institute with this question, and together we conducted a research study to better understand the factors that drive and hinder consideration of the trades.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

The answer we uncovered wasn't what most people might expect.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

`font-fordf1 text-[24px] leading-[28px] tracking-[-0.05em] ${!shouldScale ? 'md:text-[42px] md:leading-[46px]' : 'md:@[10px]/wrapper:text-[clamp(24px,5cqi,42px)] md:@[10px]/wrapper:leading-[clamp(28px,5cqi,46px)]'}` w-full max-w-[910px] p-4 mx-auto [&_a]:text-skyview [&_a:hover]:text-skyviewHover text-twilight">The Trades Don't Have a Value Problem. They Have a Knowledge Problem.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Our research showed that while 38% of surveyed students say they'd consider a career in the trades, only 11% plan to pursue one after high school.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

The study confirmed that students and parents understand what the trades offer and consider the career paths compelling.

The stated benefits - hands-on learning, practical skills, earning potential, financial independence, job stability, and real-world career readiness - align closely with attributes these young adults associate with a good job and a successful future.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

So why the disconnect? Limited knowledge is the primary barrier to pursuing a career in the trades - not negative perceptions.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Compared with a post-secondary school pathway like college, students and families have less understanding of what trade careers exist, how to enter them, what the training process looks like, and what opportunities can follow.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

This knowledge gap presents a real challenge to building the skilled trades pipeline. It's difficult for young people and those who influence them to imagine a career in the trades as a concrete next step.

`font-fordf1 text-[24px] leading-[28px] tracking-[-0.05em] ${!shouldScale ? 'md:text-[42px] md:leading-[46px]' : 'md:@[10px]/wrapper:text-[clamp(24px,5cqi,42px)] md:@[10px]/wrapper:leading-[clamp(28px,5cqi,46px)]'}` w-full max-w-[910px] p-4 mx-auto [&_a]:text-skyview [&_a:hover]:text-skyviewHover text-twilight">The Communications Opportunity

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

How do we close this knowledge gap?

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

We found that targeted communications can play a clear role.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Companies are already working on the ground to encourage young adults to pursue careers in the trades. Adding an effective public education campaign can pair inspiration with action to illuminate pathways to these jobs.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

As discussed, trades are generally viewed positively and command a meaningful degree of respect, but they haven't yet achieved the same status or prestige as careers in fields like health care or technology.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

As a result, communications must do more than explain the practical benefits of trades. They should present trades as an intentional choice and broaden the definition of what a prestigious or successful career can be.

Communications should challenge the assumption that college is the only default route to success while making the trades feel concrete and attainable - and never pitting these two post-secondary school pathways against each other.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Messages need to focus on the benefits that matter most (hands-on experience, earning while learning, financial independence, stability, and real-world career readiness); connect careers in the trades to outcomes families already value; and then show students and families exactly what comes next.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Although teens see themselves as the primary decision-makers about their futures, they do not make these choices in isolation.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Parents are the most influential members of their decision-making network (76%), followed by other family members (50%), counselors (39%), and teachers (38%).

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Any effort focused exclusively on students is therefore unlikely to shift consideration at scale.

`font-fordf1 text-[24px] leading-[28px] tracking-[-0.05em] ${!shouldScale ? 'md:text-[42px] md:leading-[46px]' : 'md:@[10px]/wrapper:text-[clamp(24px,5cqi,42px)] md:@[10px]/wrapper:leading-[clamp(28px,5cqi,46px)]'}` w-full max-w-[910px] p-4 mx-auto [&_a]:text-skyview [&_a:hover]:text-skyviewHover text-twilight">A New Campaign Partnership Built for a Big Challenge

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

No single organization can solve a workforce challenge of this scale alone.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

That's why the Ad Council, the nonprofit behind iconic campaigns including Smokey Bear and "Love, Your Mind," is proud to announce a new, cross-sector campaign partnership dedicated to illuminating a path for the next generation of skilled trades professionals - built alongside founding partners Ford Motor Company, Dycom, The Home Depot, and the Wallace Foundation.

Together, we're developing a national public education campaign, launching in 2027, designed to help young people understand skilled trades careers - both the opportunities available and how to find and pursue these roles.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

We're deliberately building a big tent for this effort, bringing together leaders across industry, philanthropy, education, and workforce development, with room for more partners to join.

As demand grows across infrastructure, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and emerging technology, the need to make these pathways visible has never been more urgent.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

This is a moment for collective action. The tent is open, and we welcome partners from every sector to help scale these pathways and connect more people to careers with purpose and possibility.

div]:relative [&>div]:w-full [&>div]:h-full [&_.editor-component]:h-[600px]">

Derrick Feldmann is managing director of the Ad Council Research Institute.