The U.S. needs 1.7 million skilled trades workers a year. Ford wants to help train them

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Good morning from Detroit, where I am moderating a conversation with several CEOs this afternoon at the Ford Pro Accelerate summit. The focus is not on the next generation of products, but on what it will take for the next generation of workers to build them. With at least 2.1 million skilled trades jobs likely to go unfilled by 2030, Ford CEO Jim Farley decided last year to bring together leaders to talk about how to boost the “essential economy.”

Now, Ford is back for a second year with more data, a dashboard, and a plan to address the problem. Part of that plan was forming the “Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades” in July with BlackRock, Google, and Carhartt. This morning, the group released “The State of America’s Skilled Trades: A National Report,” in partnership with Jobs for the Future and Burning Glass Institute. Its analysis of 124 skilled trades occupations nationwide found that the U.S. will likely have 1.7 million skilled trades job openings every year through 2035, with current training programs producing just 55 workers for every 100 needed. Some of those openings will be the result of growth and retirement, but about 600,000 will be net-new jobs in areas like AI, advanced manufacturing, and energy.

There is a logic to Farley positioning Ford Pro as a force in supporting skilled trade workers. It is the automaker’s commercial business arm, selling trucks, vans, software subscriptions, and a range of services to customers experiencing the skills shortage firsthand. It........

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