A new coalition is pairing major companies with labor unions and trade associations to expand apprenticeships, directly addressing the same technician shortage dealerships have been fighting for years.
Ford, BlackRock, Google, and Carhartt have launched the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades, a coalition aimed at expanding apprenticeship programs and building new pathways into skilled careers.
Building the physical infrastructure for America's future requires significantly increasing the pipeline of skilled tradespeople across the country, a challenge that can only be addressed with collective action.
Want the full conversation?
🎙️ Listen to today's Automotive State of the Union episode for the complete discussion, additional context, and the conversations that shaped our perspective.
Why This Isn't Just a Dealership Problem Anymore
Experienced tradespeople are retiring faster than they're being replaced across automotive service, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and construction. At the same time, rising wages and growing uncertainty around white-collar jobs in the AI era are pushing more students toward certificate and associate degree programs instead of traditional four-year college.
The Wage Math That's Pulling Young People Into the Trades
One of our hosts recently talked with a college graduate who chose a trade apprenticeship after finishing his degree, and the math explains why.
📊 The Real Comparison
Entry-level office job with a college degree: often around $18/hour
Paid HVAC apprenticeship: comparable pay while training, with no student debt added
After the apprenticeship: $30-40/hour
Five years of experience: roughly $130,000/year
Our Hosts' Take
A broader shift is happening alongside this wage math. As AI compresses white-collar, in-front-of-a-computer work into greater efficiency, the work that can't be compressed, anything hands-on, in-person, and physically necessary, is heading toward a real, growing premium. Skilled trades, including automotive service, sit squarely in that category.
What This Means for Your Store
If your dealership is struggling to recruit technicians, this is real national momentum worth leveraging locally. Four major companies are now publicly investing in trades pathways at scale, use that same wage trajectory, modest apprenticeship pay now, $30-40/hour within a few years, six figures with experience, as a genuine, honest pitch to young people weighing their options right now.
