Mike Rowe Awards 200 Scholarships to Vocational School Students
By Movieguide® Contributor
DIRTY JOBS’ Mike Rowe is using his foundation to help students of WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming, receive scholarships.
The Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation started the “Work Ethic Scholarship” program, which aids 200 students in vocational schools each scholarship cycle.
This year, “16 of those 200 students are from Laramie’s WyoTech,” County 10 reported. “The school helps train aspiring automotive and Diesel mechanics as well as specializing in collision and refinishing technology. They have courses in specialty programs like Street Rod, High-Performance Power Trains, Chassis Fabrication and Trim and Upholstery.”
“WyoTech believes America was built on trades, and there is no doubt this nation is going to continue to need it, which means as a nation, we should respect the post-secondary options for a lucrative path in the trades,” Ashley Chitwood, Vice President of Marketing at WyoTech stated.
“The tides are shifting in America where the removal of trades education from classrooms is threatening access to some of our basic, daily needs,” she continued. “Without technicians your car won’t be serviced, your Amazon packages will run behind, and your groceries won’t arrive. Those are just a few examples of how the transportation system relies on what WyoTech provides.”
“Over the last 30 years, America has convinced itself that the best path for the most people is an expensive, four-year degree. Pop culture has glorified the ‘corner office job’ while unintentionally belittling the jobs that helped build the corner office,” Rowe’s foundation reported.
“Our society has devalued any other path to success and happiness,” it added.
“Bit by bit, our culture reaffirms the misguided belief that a career in the skilled trades shouldn’t be desired. And that lack of enthusiasm has reshaped our expectations of a ‘good job’ into something that no longer resembles work.”
“We’re redefining the definition of a good education and a good job, because we don’t think a four-year degree is the best path for the most people,” the foundation concluded. “We want people to understand the impact of skilled labor on their lives, and we’re convinced that the solution has to start with a new appreciation for hard work.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Mike Rowe blasts how expensive college has gotten, and wants Americans to see value in trade and vocational schools.
“[College is] more expensive than it’s ever been, but it’s also more expensive than health care. It’s more expensive than real estate. It’s more expensive than energy,” Rowe said. “Never in the history of Western civilization has a thing become more exponentially expansive faster than the cost of a four-year degree. That’s fact. If that doesn’t make you angry, then I don’t know what [will]. It’s bananas.”
As the cost of four-year universities continues to rise, Rowe believes that college is no longer worth the price.
According to a report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, the cost of college and university programs have surged 169% since 1980. Meanwhile, the cost of vocational schools and trade programs have remained a fraction of the cost, despite both routes leading to jobs with comparable salaries.
“We’ve told an entire generation that the best path for most people is the most expensive path,” Rowe said. “And we’ve also promoted college not on its merits, but at the expense of every other kind of degree of any kind of certification training.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
