By Gavin Boyle
As his foundation goes on 17 years, Mike Rowe celebrated his organization giving our $5 million in scholarships this year and believes it can make an even bigger impact in 2026.
“I started mikeroweWORKS 17 years ago on Labor Day as a PR campaign for a few million good jobs that nobody wanted, jobs that didn’t require a four year degree,” Rowe explained. “Today, mikeroweWORKS is the largest scholarship program in the country for trade schools. We’ve awarded nearly $20 million in work ethic scholarships and assisted over 3,000 people to get the training they need to start a worthwhile career in the skilled trades. I’m talking about electricians, plumbers, steamfitters, pipefitters, shipbuilders, welders, HVAC technicians, automotive repair specialists, down the list it goes. That’s where the real opportunities exist today. That’s where the skills gap is widest. We’re trying to close it. I’m telling you all this because we just had our best year ever. We awarded $5 million in work ethic scholarships, and next year I think we can double it.”
Related: Mike Rowe Announces High School Curriculum Focused on Work Ethic
While Rowe has long advocated for high schoolers to consider careers outside of a four year degree program at a university, he has really stepped up his messaging in recent years as the cost of college has exploded. One study found that the cost to attain a four year degree has gone up 169% since 1980, something that the youngest generations have started to take notice of.
“[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.”
“We’ve told an entire generation that the best path for most people is the most expensive path,” he added. “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.”
Beyond his foundation, which has awarded over $16 million in scholarships since it began, Rowe has also worked to make American value trade jobs again through his multiple shows which have shined a light on the essential jobs that keep our country moving and given them their dignity back.
Rowe is doing incredible work to support thousands of people who are pursuing a different career route and helping them achieve the American dream while also allowing our country to continue to operate through its own workforce.
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