{
  "id": 10977166,
  "title": "Carhartt CEO warns schools are steering Gen Z students away from a lucrative career path: Skilled trades can pay 32% more",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/carhartt-ceo-warns-schools-are-steering-gen-z-students-away-from-a",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-30T15:28:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/09/30/carhartt-ceo-linda-hubbard-skilled-trades-shortage-six-figure-career-opportunities-for-gen-z-plumbers-electricans-technicans/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Carhartt's CEO warns that schools are steering Gen Z students away from lucrative careers in skilled trades, which can pay 32% more than non-college degree jobs. The skilled-trades pipeline is producing only 55% of the workers needed to fill the 1.7 million openings projected each year through 2035. A recent report by a coalition of corporations, including Carhartt, suggests that fewer than half of apprentices complete their training, and only 29% of starters are working in a trade five years after leaving their apprenticeship. Hubbard attributes the issue to various factors, including lack of transportation, childcare, and guidance counselors not adequately encouraging students to pursue trades. While 95% of counselors agree that trade school is valuable, only 54% often recommend vocational or trade school, and just 28% recommend apprenticeships. Rowe has been advocating for essential jobs that don't require a four-year degree for decades, noting that the stigma around skilled trades and surging demand for workers is creating a \"knife fight in a phone booth\" to secure talent. Rowe suggests that young people consider a variety of career options, rather than being swayed by preconceived notions.",
  "summary": "Students interested in landing a six-figure trades job aren’t being set up for success, says Linda Hubbard—with half who start training never finish it.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}