EDITORIAL: Reviving respect for work

America needs more people who can make things and fix things.

The country does not have enough welders, machinists, carpenters, electricians, mechanics plumbers and men and women skilled in other fields to meet the need for hands-on expertise.

The impact goes beyond the inconvenience of homeowners having to wait days for a plumber to fix a malfunctioning toilet or an electrician to install new lighting in a recreation room.

The dearth of qualified workers in essential trades is a drag on the nation’s economy. In one example, it is at least partly responsible for the housing shortage that has driven up the cost of homes beyond the means of many families.

It’s a vexing problem, but one solution is on display in a white steel building with red trim in Belgium, the home of Rocket Academy. The building houses a well equipped shop for learning, where students master skills for trades as part of their high school experience.

Rocket Academy is the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District’s charter school. It opened in 2020 with just eight CG-Belgium High School students who traveled to Lakeshore Technical College in Sheboygan to learn about and practice on machines used in various trades. The academy’s remarkable progress since then was celebrated with the official opening of its building in Belgium two weeks ago.

The academy’s students earn technical degrees or certifications that can lead to well-paying jobs right out of school as the start of rewarding careers in the trades.

Rocket Academy is a particularly innovative symbol of what amounts to a great reawakening across the U.S.—that skilled workers with technical training are as important to society, and as deserving of respect, as professionals, managers and academics with college degrees.

The attitude, prevalent for generations, that a college education is a required ticket for entry into successful careers discouraged young people from pursuing training for work in the trades. With the lack of demand, there was little encouragement to expand technical education opportunities. Many high schools even eliminated shop classes.

A recent survey of 18 to 20-year-olds found that 79% perceive a stigma in choosing vocational education instead of a college degree.

A Wall Street Journal/NORC poll found that 56% of parents think a four-year college is not worth the cost. The many college graduates burdened with staggering student debt and jobs that haven’t lived up to expectations would probably agree.

The misconception that four-year colleges exist mainly to prepare students for careers sharpens those opinions. Classes in specific fields are offered, of course, but the fundamental goal of studies leading to a bachelor’s degree is to give students a broad understanding of the world with general education courses.

The wake-up call of the skilled labor shortage has been heard. Almost every state has recently enacted policies to expand workplace learning opportunities, in many cases with funding for training programs.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development administers youth apprectice programs such as Ozaukee Youth Apprenticeship, successful earn-while-you-learn programs designed for high school students.

Other states have passed legislation to give students the option of earning a high school diploma through curriculums with heavy emphasis on job training.

Improved training opportunities are an essential element of the cure for the skilled worker shortage, but a cultural change is needed too. Respect for work has to make a comeback.

Studies of work attitudes of 18 to 24-year-olds (popularly known as Gen Z) have found that in choosing careers they tend to prioritize flexibility, meaning not being tied to rigid

8 to 5 work schedules and being able to spend some days working at home.

These preferences, obviously, are not compatible with the careers of the carpenters, electricians, plumbers and masons who build houses and skilled workers in other fields.

Judging from the enthusiastic comments of the students of Rocket Academy at the opening event, those teenagers not only respect work, they can’t wait to start doing it.

The academy is named after the mascot of Cedar Grove-Belgium High, the Rockets, but it has another meaning. It signifies the goal of the academy—for students to lift off and fly swiftly into careers as the skilled workers society craves.