Who can I call to get this fixed?

That's a question that is becoming all too common in today's America. If you need a skilled trades person to fix, remodel, build or install something, I wish you good luck.

I have faithfully watched 'This Old House' on PBS every Thursday evening for about 30 years. In this past week's episode, they reinforced for all of us an ongoing labor issue that is a growing problem in America.

There are currently an estimated 6 million unfilled skilled labor jobs in the U.S. That figure only represents the skilled trades jobs. There are likely as many or more employment opportunities available in what we traditionally refer to as 'blue collar' jobs.

The show offered some disturbing trends. Not only are there many unfulfilled skilled jobs, there are also a huge number of current skilled people who are approaching retirement. The problem is only going to get worse if we don't begin to train people to fill these very necessary occupations.

This decline in people willing to work in certain fields is also a growing and serious problem in agriculture. The greatest farmers in the world have made America the breadbasket of the planet. Sadly, the average age of farmers is getting quite old, and, as is often the case, they have no family members willing to take over the family farm.

One reason that is cited for this trend, is the huge increase in the popularity of traditional four-year colleges. The college scene has become big business. The cost of attending a university has exploded recently. To pay for these educations, students and their families have incurred tremendous student loan debt. Currently there is a staggering student loan debt, that is approaching two trillion dollars.

What has made that debt even worse for many students is that there are all too often few career opportunities available in their completed field of study. Even if they find a job, the entry pay scale is low, and they remain tied to years of debt payments.

This story was not a new revelation for me. After graduating from college back in the 70s, I worked at several positions in mental health, social services and education. In the 1990s, I left education to form my own housing development business.

I was lucky to have had some basic background in the field. My father was a member of the local Carpenter's Union for many years. As a kid, I used to spend a lot of time around the job sites where he worked, and I was intrigued by the intricate knowledge and skills these men displayed.

In high school and college, I worked several summers for a wonderful man, George Logan. George owned Logan Moore Lumber Company. What a place those alleys and material stacks were! I learned a lot about the many varied materials that went into every type of construction project. I also met many of the local contractors when we delivered materials to them.

In 1971, I spent one summer working for a former friend of my father's, Gene Welboun. Gene was building one of the FMHA housing developments, and my basic training was again expanded. I later worked for a couple of years at Phol Ready Mix as a concrete truck delivery driver. Once again, I witnessed a multitude of different projects, including the first large addition to the 3M Plant.

I was proud of my achievement in graduating from college, and I did enjoy many of the career opportunities it opened for me, but it was when I began my own construction business, that I discovered a whole new and exciting world.

First and foremost, I learned that the many skilled people who worked for me on our crew or as sub contractors were some of the best trained people with whom I have ever been associated.

I was never really adept at any one of the construction skills, but my background allowed me to organize the projects, make use of the different skilled laborers and to also complete the business end of the operation. Trust me, all of these men would tell you the most important part they wanted from me was "getting paid" each week. I didn't have to go to college to learn that skill. Gail Keithley taught me general bookkeeping at NHS, and I ran my business based on her teachings.

I have met so many young people these days who have either graduated from college or attended only few years. Often, they are uncertain as to where they will eventually find work, and they are also saddled with significant school debt.

To these young people and their families, I have the following advice. There is nothing wrong with wanting to go to college if you know what you want to do for sure, and those fields have lots of openings.

What you might want to consider is taking a look at Vocational Education here at our local high school and at further training in skilled careers after high school.

The welding school has been very successful in our community. It brings in students from all over the country. Would the same types of schools work for other skilled professions?

Imagine if we took the hundreds of run down residential areas in Nevada and used these training schools either to tear down and rebuild or simply to remodel and upgrade these homes. We could train countless new skilled workers to fill the job shortage.

It would help Nevada, too. We would gain modern homes for sale or rent and create another new business that would attract students from all over the country.

Blue collar and skilled tradesmen have not been given much attention or love in recent years. Americans are sadly mistaken in that regard. I like to think of these skilled people by another term, 'artisans.' All the colleges and their graduates would find our world crumbling, if not for these masters of their crafts!