Farley laments that America’s focus on four-year college degrees comes at the expense of trade careers—even though these jobs are now among the most secure and essential in a changing economy. He compares the U.S. unfavorably with countries like Germany, where apprenticeships and early skills training are the norm and help sustain a stable, highly trained workforce.
While AI may decimate many office-based roles, Farley sees hope in the essential economy. He urges young Americans and policymakers to recognize skilled trades as a viable—and necessary—pathway to the American Dream. “We need a new mindset, one that recognizes the success and importance of this essential economy,” Farley recently told an audience.
He’s advocating for a national strategy: greater investment in vocational education, apprenticeship pipelines, and pro-trade policies to close the looming skills gap and secure the nation’s economic foundations. Only by revamping priorities across government, industry, and education, Farley argues, can the U.S. both cushion the blow of AI’s advance and restore vibrancy to the sectors that keep daily life running.
