MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump was in NASCAR country Wednesday.
Trump toured the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. where she emphasized the need for more skilled workers.
That's where the first daughter met one of the first families of NASCAR.
“She just wanted to hold it wide open; it was pretty cool because we’re all about speed and family when it comes to NASCAR,” said NASCAR driver Austin Dillon.
Dillon and his grandfather, racing great Richard Childress, escorted Trump around the school, where she was given a first-hand look at the hands-on training students get there.
The institute teaches students trade and technical skill and prepares them for jobs in the automotive and machining industries. In addition to jobs in NASCAR, school officials said many go to work for companies like BMW.
“It’s about aligning the skills being taught in our classrooms, just like we saw today, with the jobs that are in demand in the modern economy,” said Trump.
Trump said in today’s age, high schoolers are well coached into getting four-year degrees, leaving many with high debt and few skills to show for it. Meanwhile, she said, high-paying trade jobs, which often require shorter and less expensive training, are going unfulfilled.
“Every business I visited tells me that we can’t find somebody that can do 'X'. 'X' is welding, it’s megatronics, it’s programming these great machines,” said Congressman Richard Hudson.
“There are 6.7 million unfilled jobs in this country that we don’t have enough people to fill. We’re talking about plumbers, electricians, automobile technicians, welders,” added Congressman Ted Budd.
Trump said a big part of her work is also focusing on workers who are mid-to-late career, acknowledging a lot them are losing their jobs to automation.
She said she’s now working with companies, encouraging them to re-train and re-skill those employees.
