Skilled Trades Need Proof: A 1.7 Million Job Gap, Outcome-Based Funding and a Paid Cyber Path for Veterans
Four announcements from the past week share one thread. Money, coalitions and federal programs are lining up behind hands-on skill. The next step is making that skill visible to employers.
The Alliance for America's Skilled Trades puts a number on the gap
On September 30, the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades, founded by BlackRock, Carhartt, Ford and Google, added 14 members. They include Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA, ManpowerGroup, AT&T, Verizon, Waymo, Blackstone, Cintas, DEWALT, Dycom, Hershey, Milwaukee Tool and Barton Malow. The group also released a national report, "The State of America's Skilled Trades," covered in its press release.
The headline figure: the US needs to fill about 1.7 million skilled trade openings every year through 2035. Training programs produce only 55 workers for every 100 needed. The analysis covers 124 occupations in all 50 states and flags nine states with the sharpest shortages: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. An interactive dashboard offers more than 5,000 state-by-occupation profiles.
For employers, this is a supply problem with a price tag. For veterans, it is an open door. Many service members already hold the hands-on habits these trades demand. What they lack is a way to show it in civilian terms.
The Labor Department ties training dollars to results
Also on September 30, the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration announced $43 million for seven states through the second round of its Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund. State workforce agencies use the money to reimburse employers for training that keeps pace with fast-changing skill needs in shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing and nuclear energy. More than $10 million targets domestic shipbuilding and maritime supply chain jobs.
Across both rounds, the fund has now committed more than $129 million in 21 states, including over $30 million for shipbuilding.
The design matters as much as the dollar amount. Reimbursement follows outcomes. A trainee who reaches a verified milestone counts. A seat filled does not. That shifts the market toward anyone who can document what a worker can actually do, quickly and credibly.
Lowe's Foundation builds the largest trades coalition yet
Lowe's Foundation launched the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, described as the largest cross-sector effort of its kind in the US. More than 75 companies, colleges and workforce groups are involved. Corporate members include NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT and Duke Energy. NAHB, NCCER, SkillsUSA and Carhartt join as trade partners.
The goal is to prepare 1 million people for skilled trades by 2035, against a projected shortfall of about 2.1 million jobs by 2030. The coalition has three tasks: change how people see the trades, invest in training and credentialing solutions, and measure progress against shared benchmarks.
That last task deserves attention. Shared benchmarks only work if skills can be measured the same way across employers. Credentials alone rarely travel that well. Demonstrated performance does.
A paid cyber apprenticeship for veterans at the VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs is accepting applications for the FY27 class of its Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program for Veterans, with a January 2027 start, according to VA News. It is a paid, 2.5-year, Labor Department-registered apprenticeship with no degree requirement. Apprentices work inside the VA Cybersecurity Operations Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, beside working professionals.
The target role is Cyber Defense Analyst under DoD 8140, with a ladder from GS-9 to GS-11 to GS-12 on completion. The first class finished in August 2026.
This is earn-and-learn at its clearest. A veteran gets paid, practices on real systems and ends with a federal career path. It is also one more program that rewards people who can show applied ability rather than a diploma.
Takeaway
Corporate coalitions are naming the gap. The federal government is paying for results. The VA is training veterans on the job. Every one of these efforts needs a trusted answer to the same question: what can this person actually do? PowerTechs is building that layer, with hands-on challenges that turn skill into data an employer can trust and a veteran can carry.
For veterans: see roles that match your military experience For employers: book a 30-minute call