A video gone viral on TikTok caught the attention of the Skilled Careers Coalition (SCC) as it sparks a broader conversation around alternate skills-based careers in high demand areas versus the traditional four-year college track that has left a generation of young people with more debt than opportunity.
Despite having a college degree, Gen Z-er @LohannySantos was compelled to share a video expressing her disappointment and frustration after a day of knocking on doors for minimum wage jobs with resume in hand. With 23.4 million views to date, 3.3 million likes, 53,000+ comments, and 29,000+ shares, the viral video has struck a nerve, tapping into the growing sentiment and reality among 20-somethings that the time and money invested in the traditional four-year college-to-career path has not opened the doors to opportunity they had anticipated.
While the four-year college path may be right for some, the rising cost of a college education has pushed student loan debt to more than $1.6 trillion, giving pause to parents and young people to consider other tracks to career success.
Said Mark Hedstrom, Co-Executive Director, Skilled Careers Coalition, “Due to a variety of factors, the American workforce has undergone transformative change over the last decade and young people are not landing the jobs upon graduation they were expecting. Millions of college grads like Santos have been left disillusioned and in debt, while opportunities for highly trained professionals in skilled careers spanning construction, industrial, manufacturing, creative, and service – industries that are the backbone of America – are booming and have never been in greater demand or more profitable than they are today.”
The Skilled Careers Coalition (SCC) is on a mission to bring the youth of today to the skilled careers of tomorrow by revolutionizing this critical sector of the American workforce. The organization has launched a three-part strategy to improve the pipeline of skilled professionals needed now and, in the years ahead. Those strategies are:
- Inspiring the next-generation of makers and creators to consider an alternate path to career and life-long success,
- De-stigmatizing skilled professions, particularly within those industries that allow American infrastructure to thrive, and
- Building a dynamic eco-system among educators, industries, government, parents, and other stakeholders all working together.
Added Hedstrom, “We are driving immediate action to encourage young people to consider apprenticeships, mentorships, and a trade school education. Bringing stakeholders together from across all sectors to join forces to fill the pipeline of skilled careers needed across dozens of industries while helping kids turn their skills into career opportunity and achievement.”
1 Apprenticeships Help Businesses Find Qualified Job Seekers, Develop Talent, Move the Economy Forward (Oct. 25, 2023) – U.S. House Sub-Committee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs
2 According to a 2018 study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute.