As AI wipes out white-collar jobs, one Alabama high school and Toyota are training students for roles that pay $40 an hour and can't be automated | Fortune

The U.S. faces a shortage of skilled tradespeople, with many current workers nearing retirement. A Huntsville Center for Technology facility is training 700 students during part of the school day using industry-standard programs. The specialized Inditech program was developed through a direct partnership with Toyota Alabama, supported by a $1 million investment from Toyota’s charitable endowment. The program targets local employment gaps, including industrial maintenance workers. The shortage is projected to cost the U.S. up to $1 trillion annually and requires about 1.9 million manufacturing workers by 2033. Demand is increasing further as data center and AI infrastructure projects require electricians and construction workers. Meanwhile, the economy has an oversupply of college-educated white-collar workers.

"The Huntsville Center for Technology (HCT) is a new $40 million facility where 700 students leave their traditional high school for part of the day to receive industry-standard training. The school, which will send off its first graduates this spring, features a specialized "Inditech" program developed through a direct partnership with Toyota Alabama, supported by a $1 million investment from Toyota's charitable endowment."

""We asked what is a specific program or pathway that you guys need and we can address," he said. "They said they needed more industrial maintenance workers. So the Inditech program came about through the collaboration with Toyota Alabama.""

"Many workers in the skilled trades today are of retirement age, and a looming shortage risks costing the U.S. $1 trillion a year, according to some estimates. The U.S. needs about 1.9 million manufacturing workers by 2033, according to 2025 data from the National Association of Manufacturers."

"Ford CEO Jim Farley has said the U.S. is short more than one million workers in what he calls the " essential economy," the blue-collar sectors that get things "moved, built, or fixed." He said the country is short 600,000 factory workers and 500,000 construction workers."

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