Skilled Trades Shortage: 'Will Gap' vs. 'Skills Gap' with Made by Anderson Brands

The Rise of Trade Schools

• 💡 The cost of college has nearly tripled since 2005, leading more than 1.5 million Americans to enroll in trade schools in 2023.
• 🎯 This shift is driven by diminishing returns in the traditional job market and a growing need for skilled trades.

Iron Warrior Academy's Mission

• 🚀 Co-founders Alli and Kory Anderson established Iron Warrior Academy, a nonprofit aimed at encouraging students to pursue skilled trades.
• 🔑 The academy was founded out of a need for workers in their own foundries, focusing on teaching skills to young people with the right character.
• 🧠 The program emphasizes developing character, mental toughness, grit, and resiliency, addressing what they call a 'will gap' rather than a 'skills gap'.

Hands-On Training and Career Opportunities

• 🛠️ Students gain exposure to various trades, including welding and foundry work, where they can witness iron being poured and even create items like a war hammer or mini kettlebell.
• 🏭 The Anderson's foundries produce iron castings for construction, military defense, and power transmission, as well as aluminum castings for automotive and racing industries.
• ✅ Participants learn valuable skills in manufacturing and experience the pride of building tangible products with their hands.

Optimism for American Manufacturing

• 📈 The founders are optimistic about America's manufacturing comeback, believing it requires strong industry partnerships and a shift in educational narrative.
• 💰 They advocate for skilled trades to be seen as a primary career path, not a backup, highlighting the significant opportunity and demand in the sector over the next decade.
• 📊 With a predicted deficit of 2.1 million skilled trades workers, the principles of supply and demand suggest money will follow this demand.