Solidarity Sunday: The Jig Is Up
We just interviewed several new union members for one of the Locals we serve. These are guys who've organized in as working tradespeople. Three of the ten were college graduates who were underemployed and came into the union trades for a better way.
When popular, well-educated conservative education advocates like George Will recognize that college for all needs a rethink, you know that going to college for college-sake has finally jumped the shark.
When it comes to College for all….The Jig is up.
For a dozen years or more we've known that there aren't enough skilled tradespeople to fill the jobs of those retiring from the trades. But new studies are beginning to validate the fact that the days people thinking they must go to college to get gainful employment are over. The bloated bureaucracies, ridiculous tuition and fees, and poor return on investment of colleges charge can no longer be ignored.
In 2024, Strada Education Foundation and the Burning Glass Institute examined the employment history of 60 million workers. The study was to observe the career trajectories after attaining a college degree. The study found that more than half of college graduates (52%) were working in jobs that do not require a bachelor's degree one year after graduation. Furthermore, 45% of them were still underemployed 10 years later.
But what about the 48% who took a 'college-level job'? The vast majority (86%) were still in a college-level job a decade later.
These outcomes depend on the degree of course. Those graduating in STEM fields like computer science, mathematics, engineering, or fields related to technical skills in healthcare such as nursing fared much better. But those in the life sciences, humanities, or general business degrees like marketing are likely to end up unemployed or underemployed. Furthermore, black and Hispanic college grads are more likely to end up underemployed, and men are more likely than women to be underemployed.
The pendulum is swinging back in favor of learning marketable skills and the skills most marketable are in the trades. Young people are more open to a career in the trades than they have been in 80 years. There is real money behind it, both from the government and corporate America. In many cases, growing the pool of skilled tradespeople has become a matter of national security. The US Navy recently commissioned a company for "BuildSubmarines.com", a $1 Billion marketing effort to address the lack of tradesmen available to build the new line of submarines for the 21st century.
Yep. The Jig is up on college, and more people than ever are considering a career in the trades. The question is whether they go union or non-union. We need to be telling our story with these kids, and planting the seeds of how to leverage our local unions to build a career for themselves.
Belonging to something greater than yourself.
People want to feel like they belong to something greater than themselves. Something that has a significant story and an impact on the world around them. That's a large part of the appeal for getting a college degree is the story it gives to the students who attend. That story is tied to the unique history of the college or university. One of the often under-leveraged assets of a union IS your history. Every local we work with has a unique story and a huge impact on the communities and families we serve. Telling your story in a unique way in print, digital, and video allows your Local union to stand out and appeal to a greater sense of belonging to something substantial. Let us help you tell your union story. We specialize in drawing out a story, telling your local union history, and making your old photos and artifacts come alive in a compelling way for a digital world.
