Who’s Gonna Do the Work If Everyone Goes to College? - with Ron Hetrick, Principal Economist, Lightcast
Ron Hetrick, Principal Economist · Lightcast

What this conversation answers
- 01
Why do we tell other people’s kids to go into the trades while insisting our own children go to college?
- 02
What happens when 2.1 million skilled trade jobs sit open while training programs can only complete 800,000 workers?
- 03
How did the labor force of 4-year degree holders grow by 7 million since 2019 while everyone else shrank by 2 million?
Show notes
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Ron Hetrick, Principal Economist, Lightcast
This episode is brought to you by Beyond Survival: Reporting from the Front Lines of Higher Education’s War for Relevance is a documentary account from the front lines of the most consequential upheaval in higher ed in generations!
This episode is sponsored by the MSCHE 2026 Annual Conference, where we will be podcasting live, keynoting, & facilitating a pre-conference workshop from December 9-11 in Philadelphia!
This episode is also sponsored by the InsightsEDU 2027 Conference - focused on attracting & retaining the modern learner - where we will be podcasting live from February 23-25 in Phoenix, AZ! Use code EDUP & save $100! Early-bird pricing ends December 15, 2026!
YOUR host is Dr. Joe Sallustio
- Why do we tell other people’s kids to go into the trades while insisting our own children go to college?
- What happens when 2.1 million skilled trade jobs sit open while training programs can only complete 800,000 workers?
- How did the labor force of 4-year degree holders grow by 7 million since 2019 while everyone else shrank by 2 million?
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