The Harris Poll: Skilled trades are important but overlooked

The latest survey conducted by The Harris Poll on consumer opinion of the skilled trades found that 91% of Americans view them as being just as essential as white-collar jobs, but think they’re undervalued and overlooked.

Ninety percent said most people don’t realize how well-paying skilled trades can be, and 86% agreed that skilled trade careers are overlooked in schools today.

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. from June 20-22, 2025, among 2,203 adults ages 18 and older.

Respondents said the top barriers to skilled trade careers are:

• • Viewed as less prestigious
  • A lack of awareness
  • Pressure to attend college
  • Doubts about pay

In addition, Gen Z respondents are concerned about job security, automation taking their place, and a lack of flexible career options. Thirty-eight percent of Gen Z believe skilled trades offer the best job opportunities today, compared to 40% of Millennials, 45% of Gen Xers, and 59% of Boomer+ respondents. Thirty-six percent of Gen Zers strongly agree that skilled trades offer a faster and more affordable path to a good career.

The poll found that 9 in 10 Americans view companies more positively when they back skilled trade programs.

Technology professions outpaced skilled trades as the best perceived job opportunities among all generations except Boomer+, according to the survey results. Boomer+ ranked technology No. 2 out of five.

Among all generations, doctors and healthcare professionals ranked No. 3, followed by engineers, and first responders to fill out the top five.

In April, according to a separate survey by The Harris Poll, while skilled trades are positively perceived, confidence in choosing that path over a four-year college degree remains strained among younger generations in the U.S. Twenty-two percent of Gen Z respondents said they would advise high school seniors to attend a vocational or trade school. The same was recommended by 31% of Millennials, 37% of Gen X, and 41% of Boomer+ respondents.

According to a global-based survey by The Harris Poll, 80% agree that new skills and credentials will be as valued as a traditional university degree by 2035. More than 18,000 individuals responded to the survey, which was conducted online in September 2024.

In response to the same survey, 86% of U.S. human resources decision-makers agreed that leveraging college degrees is “a dated practice in organizational hiring and leaves a lot of talent on the table.”

Based on its research, The Harris Poll recommends that companies looking to recruit do the following to stand out to potential candidates:

• • Fund scholarships, internships, or training programs
  • Partner with schools and colleges.
  • Reframe the narrative with today’s youth  to show that “trades are respected, future-proof careers with strong pay, purpose, and
    flexibility,” by highlighting real success stories, career paths, and modern skills.
  • Map out where talent gaps could impact operations, treating training, certification, and outreach investments as essential risk mitigation.

Within the collision repair industry, repair professionals and training organizations have openly encouraged shop participation with local schools and colleges, working to garner interest in the trade as early as middle school age.

Two programs are up and running for collision repair that pair book learning with apprenticeships at shops for hands-on learning — the Collision Engineering Program (CEP) and I-CAR’s Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP).

The two-year associate degree CEP is designed around a hybrid, work-based learning model. Students rotate every eight weeks between classroom instruction and paid apprenticeships at trusted collision repair facilities. It is offered at seven schools across the U.S.

Since launching the Collision Engineering pilot in 2020, the program has served more than 230 students. A 100% job placement rate before graduation has been achieved, as well as an 87.5% retention rate across CEP’s partner programs.

The national RAP is a two-year structured training program that combines paid, on-the-job learning with related technical instruction from the I-CAR Academy curriculum. Those who complete the program earn a nationally recognized credential from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

I-CAR officially launched RAP in July, backed by $7 million in grant funding from the DOL.

Images

Featured image: A Sandhills Community College collision repair and refinish student learning in the shop. (Provided by Sandhills Community College/Collision Engineering)