^{The Bottom Line} Keri D. Ingraham Speaks with Mike Row About Workforce Development

Keri D. Ingraham, Discovery Institute’s Senior Fellow and Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, was in Denver recently for ACE Scholarship events spanning two days.

Ingraham was a featured speaker at the ACE Scholarships Education Freedom Tax Credit Symposium, held at the Four Seasons, on May 5. Her speech, “The Research Doesn’t Lie,” was well-received by attendees.

The following day, Mike Rowe was the keynote speaker at the ACE Scholarship Annual Luncheon held at the Hyatt Regency. Rowe is an Emmy award-winning TV host, New York Times best-selling author, podcaster, recording artist, and CEO of the Mike Rowe WORKS Foundation. His foundation has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships, reinvigorating the skilled trades in America.

While in Denver, Ingraham had the opportunity to speak with Rowe regarding her work related to workforce development, including the policy brief “The Case for Industry-Specific High Schools.”

The following is an excerpt from Ingraham’s policy brief:

As the price tag of a college degree soars, the perceived value by parents, students, and employers alike is decreasing. A 2024 essay in The Wall Street Journal found, “Nearly half of parents say they would prefer not to send their children to a four-year college after high school, even if there were no obstacles, financial or otherwise.” Additionally, the report noted that two-thirds of high school students believe “they will be just fine without a college degree.”

Furthermore, the findings of a November 2023 survey revealed that an astonishing 55 percent of US companies eliminated bachelor’s degree requirements for employment eligibility. Instead, employers are valuing skills and experience over education.

Employers face growing challenges filling specialized jobs due to the misalignment between college coursework and the demands of today’s technologically driven labor markets. There is a rapidly growing need in high-demand and high-growth industries for employees who possess the necessary technical skills rather than a college degree. Yet the education pathways to these career fields are not keeping pace with the demand.

Continuing, Ingraham writes:

Simply forgoing college won’t provide the necessary remedy, as students exit their K-12 schooling unprepared with the specialized skills required for an increasing number of jobs.

Instead, she explains that innovative change at the high school level is needed.

The status quo American high school model, based on Horace Mann’s framework, is largely unchanged since its inception over 185 years ago and is ripe for redesign. Schooling during the ninth through 12th grades should be marked by not only high-quality academic instruction but also hands-on learning opportunities that develop skills for high-growth and high-demand career fields.

To prepare students for real-world success and to meet the evolving demands of today’s economy, high schools must be intentionally designed with industry-specific focuses that reflect national labor trends and the unique needs of their local communities and regions. Aligning education with high-growth sectors ensures that students graduate with relevant skills, employers gain a stronger talent pipeline, and regions become more competitive and economically resilient.

These new high schools should encompass well-established career and technical education fields in the trades, such as electrical work, plumbing, and construction management, which are resistant to automation and unlikely to be replaced by technology. Similarly, training for technical work in the medical field warrants consideration. In addition, industry-specific high schools should be designed to include high-demand, future-focused fields such as engineering, computer science and data analytics, medical technology, digital marketing, food production, energy, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.

Equipping high school students with entrepreneurship and business skills is also essential, as much of today’s job growth is being driven by startups and small enterprises. Providing students access to unique hands-on learning experiences and industry-specific advanced training will increase engagement and motivation while also serving as an on-ramp to post-high school success.

Ingraham is helping advance education reforms that prepare students for success in today’s economy and for the opportunities of tomorrow’s workforce.