Business 5 min read By Bethany Hadley
GM Chief Warns of Skilled Trades 'Societal Problem' as $200m Training Push Targets Gen Z
General Motors CEO Mary Barra says the US treats skilled trades as less desirable than white-collar work, as the carmaker invests nearly $200 million in training and apprenticeships to close a growing labour gap.
General Motors has invested close to $200 million in expanding and modernising training for skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, engineering and technician roles, as chief executive Mary Barra warned that the United States has a «societal problem» in the way it regards hands-on careers.
Speaking on a podcast, Barra said high school students weighing their options should not overlook the trades, arguing that blue-collar careers can offer more protection from artificial intelligence than some white-collar paths while still delivering six-figure earnings. A technician, she said, might earn $80,000 to $90,000, and potentially more depending on hours worked.
The funding is being directed towards community-based training and upgrades to manufacturing facilities, technical centres and dealership service bays. GM placed roughly 90 new skilled trades apprentices across its US manufacturing divisions in April, part of an effort to build a pipeline of workers for roles that the company and its peers say are increasingly hard to fill.
Barra’s argument is personal as well as commercial. Both of her parents grew up during the Great Depression, and her father spent 39 years at GM as a die maker. She followed him into the industry, attending the General Motors Institute — now Kettering University — and working as a co-op student on the assembly line as a quality inspector at the company’s Pontiac Motor Division. Her first full-time job was as an electrical engineer in 1985, and she rose through roles including plant manager at GM’s Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant in 2003 before becoming chief executive in 2014.
She contrasted the US position with Europe, which she said shows «much more respect for the trades and the importance of people who do very technical things but work with their hands and build things and make things and service things».
The shortage is not confined to the car industry. An estimated 2.1 million skilled trades jobs could go unfilled nationally by 2030, according to the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades, a coalition formed over the summer by BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford Motor Company and Google to address the labour gap. More than 300,000 new electricians are estimated to be needed over the next decade, demand fuelled in part by the data centre boom powering the expansion of AI.
Other business leaders have issued similar warnings. JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon said in July that the shortage could become a major obstacle to American investment, particularly as the US looks to expand its defence-industrial base. «We need 300,000 electricians, welders, etc. to build ships in the next five or 10 years,» he said, adding that such roles fit «what we call the American dream» by giving workers skills that can pay $80,000 to $100,000 a year after a year or two of training.
BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink has questioned whether young people can continue to rely on the traditional route of a college education followed by a white-collar office job. Speaking at BlackRock’s 2026 Infrastructure Summit in March, he said the speed at which AI is changing the economy means society is not adapting fast enough, and that the technology will disrupt many of the roles that a degree once guaranteed. Fink nonetheless sees an upside: «AI is going to create a lot of skilled job needs,» he said, describing the pace of change as the biggest issue confronting the US and other countries.
For GM, the training investment is intended to address both recruitment and retention in areas where competition for workers is intensifying. The company’s spending covers not only traditional trades but also the advanced manufacturing and engineering skills required as its vehicle range and production processes become more technically demanding. The apprenticeships placed in April represent an early step in that effort, with community-based programmes expected to widen the pool of candidates beyond those who would previously have considered a factory or dealership career.
Barra’s comments add a prominent corporate voice to a debate that now spans manufacturing, energy, construction and technology. With AI reshaping white-collar work and infrastructure spending creating demand for electricians, welders and technicians, the question of how to persuade a generation of school leavers to choose the trades is moving from a human resources concern to a boardroom priority.
