Exemplar Outline
Sentence Outline: American Challenge -- Skilled Trade Labor Shortage
Plan and Claim: To introduce my American challenge or issue, I will include a correctly cited clip of TV
personality Mike Rowe’s testimony to Congress about the importance of skilled workers in America. He is the
host of the TV Show Dirty Jobs which explores America’s “dirtiest” trades and is also the founder of the Mike
Rowe Works Foundation which fosters an interest in skilled trade jobs, offers scholarships for apprenticeships
and other similar training, and advocates for unbiased portrayals of careers that require “hard work.” In 2017,
Rowe testified before a Congressional Committee on the skills gap to advocate for educating young people
about the benefits of skilled trade jobs and to suggest ways to change the perception of those professions. I
would use the information from his testimony to build up to my claim about America’s shortage of skilled
workers. Claim: Over the past two decades, America has experienced a decline in its number of skilled laborers
leading to employers being unable to fill skilled trades positions in fields like welding, carpentry, and masonry
which then results in long delays in jobs being completed, lower quality services, and increased business
closures.
I. Sub-claim 1 with Transition: First, one of the primary factors contributing to the skills shortage is that
American schools and institutions are not effectively emphasizing the benefits of and need for
educating students in skilled trades.
a. Evidence 1 for Sub-claim 1: Many trade courses have been impacted by the elimination of
vocational training programs because of the emphasis on STEM/STEAM and college readiness,
which directly impacts the supply of blue-collar workers (Richardson).
b. Evidence 2 for Sub-claim 1: While college does admittedly help many people gain financial
security, for many others, it has not led to “economic salvation” especially since the U.S. now
has the “highest college dropout rate” in the world and the average finishing rate for a four-
year college degree is six years (“Job Centered Learning”).
c. Reasoning: American education’s shift in focus to an “everyone goes to college” mentality has
led to many institutions diverting funds away from vocational training and CTE courses and to
college-prep courses and programs.
II. Sub-claim 2 with Transition: Another contributing factor to the skilled tradespeople shortage is the
negative bias toward “blue-collar” labeled professions.
a. Evidence 1 for Sub-claim 2: Some of those misperceptions come from Americans’ view of
wages. According to the article "The Skill Gap Contributes to the Growing Wage Gap", “in the
1980s, the top 10 percent earned about two times as much as the median worker. Now, the
top 10 percent earns roughly 2.5 times as much as the median worker—a 25 percent increase”
(Lazear).
b. Evidence 2 for Sub-claim 2: Many Americans still view a “career in the trades as some kind of
vocational consolation prize” (Rowe).
c. Reasoning: When most Americans look at others who they view as financially secure, they
often identify those with advanced college degrees working in the medical, business, legal, or
tech fields, not their local plumber or cosmetologist.
III. Conclusion / Call to Action: To increase the number of skilled trade professionals in the U.S., students
need encouragement and opportunities to learn skilled trades beginning as early as middle school and
continuing into high school. Educational opportunities should provide hands-on experiences like paid
co-ops and apprenticeships, along with incentives that encourage greater diversity in skilled trades
professions.
Works Cited
Films Media Group. “Job Centered Learning.” Learn360, Films Media Group, 2017, [Link]
[Link]/titles/169141? Accessed 3 Apr. 2023.
Lazear, Edward P. "The Skill Gap Contributes to the Growing Wage Gap." Gale Opposing
Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
[Link]/apps/doc/DVTPNM451089678/OVIC?u=scschools&sid=bookmark-
OVIC&xid=7eb574ff. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023. Originally published as "Growing Wage
Inequality Is Caused by Growing Skill Inequality," National Review, 4 Aug. 2020.
Richardson, Brenda. "Skilled-labor shortage makes home repairs a headache." Washington
Post, 19 Apr. 2018. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
[Link]/apps/doc/A535317644/OVIC?u=scschools&sid=bookmark-
OVIC&xid=c90787ad. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.
Rowe, Mike. “Mike Rowe Testifies before Congressional Subcommittee on Closing the Skills Gap.”
YouTube, YouTube, 1 Mar. 2017, [Link]
