Reskilling America

Industrial jobs are beginning to return to the United States, but the country lacks an adequately trained workforce. In Reskilling America, Katherine Newman and Hella Winston explain why this is the case and how to remedy the labor shortage. The two sociologists trace the history of vocational education in the U.S. and how Americans developed a bias against blue-collar jobs. The cognitive and physical skills required by industrial workers are generally devalued. And the current obsession that everyone earns a college degree is exacerbating the situation. Youths with a bent for professions in the trades are instead being channeled into higher education. The authors show how vocational training can be an intellectually rigorous form of education and provide young people with well-paying careers. Newman and Winston discuss the challenges facing vocational education and how those challenges may be resolved. Anyone concerned with the future of American industry, labor, education, and youth would be well served by reading this volume.