Ford and Partners Launch Campaign to Combat Skilled Trades Shortage
Ford Motor Company and a corporate coalition are launching national initiatives to address a projected shortage of 1.7 million skilled trades workers annually through 2035.
The Ford Motor Company and its partners have launched a comprehensive effort to address a critical shortage of blue-collar workers in the United States. A report released by the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades—a coalition including BlackRock, Google, and Carhartt—projects a need for 1.7 million skilled trades workers annually through 2035. The report finds that current training pipelines are insufficient, producing only 55 workers for every 100 needed, with Maine ranking last in the nation for its training pipeline.
To combat this, Ford CEO Jim Farley has committed $300 million in 2026 toward training and the essential economy. The company partnered with the Ad Council and other organizations to launch a social-impact campaign aimed at rebranding trades for Generation Z, challenging the perception that a four-year degree is the only path to success. Ford also enlisted comedian Nate Bargatze as a spokesperson to promote the stability of trade careers, which Bargatze argues are protected from AI displacement.
Industry leaders identified systemic failures in the talent pipeline, noting that fewer than half of apprenticeship students complete their programs. Linda Hubbard, CEO of Carhartt, specifically criticized high school guidance counselors for rarely recommending trade schools despite acknowledging their value. In response, other corporations have stepped in; Google announced a program to train 25,000 veterans, and The Home Depot Foundation launched the Skills Explorers program to provide 15 million introductions to trade careers by 2032. The Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades recently expanded its membership to include 14 new partners, including Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Meta.
