Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades: Skilled trades shaped America's past. Here's how they can build America's future - Fortune

What the report says

In a Fortune commentary published July 21, 2026, leaders from Ford, Carhartt, BlackRock and Google announced the creation of the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades, a joint effort aimed at expanding pathways into trade careers. The piece was written by Ford CEO Jim Farley, Carhartt President and CEO Linda Hubbard, Global Infrastructure Partners Chairman and CEO Bayo Ogunlesi, and Alphabet and Google President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat.

The authors said the United States faces a potentially significant worker shortage as manufacturing needs shift and electrification and infrastructure demands grow. They cited an estimate that 2.1 million skilled trades jobs nationwide could remain vacant by 2030, including a projected need for 130,000 more electrical workers by 2030 and more than 350,000 new auto technicians by 2029.

According to the commentary, the alliance is beginning with training activity in 30 states, with a goal of expanding nationally. Its stated priorities include building interest in skilled trades among students and adult learners, supporting apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and using evidence from existing programs to guide investments. The founding companies also said they will co-fund a Skilled Trades Report with the Burning Glass Institute and Jobs for the Future to assess workforce gaps, monitor progress and identify effective practices.

The authors framed the initiative as a response to both labor-market needs and economic mobility concerns, arguing that skilled trade roles can offer strong wages, transferable skills and alternatives to four-year college debt. Fortune labeled the article as commentary and noted that the views expressed were those of the authors, not necessarily the publication.