Young adults are showing renewed openness to blue-collar and trade careers amid tuition burdens and a tight white-collar labor market, yet employers like Ford report thousands of unfilled paid technician roles. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and sector studies point to more than 400,000 unfilled skilled-trade jobs and a projected need for millions more workers over the next decade. Enrollment in vocational and community college programs has climbed, but employers and secondary/postsecondary educators report inadequate pathways—apprenticeships, internship linkages and credential articulation—to convert student interest into hires. Experts warn that cultural stigma and insufficient career advising remain barriers. Higher-education leaders should prioritize partnerships with industry, credential portability, and scalable apprenticeship models to capture Gen Z interest and address persistent workforce shortages.