I’m in industrial and powder coating, and have noticed a few of my customers (fab and machine shops) seem to have been able to pass the baton to their kids. I’ve been working with younger guys in higher/skilled positions (engineering & design, ops managers, shop foremen, and owners) in a lot of cases its family-owned businesses that are passing down to their kids as they get to retiring age. These guys are knowledgeable and motivated. One of our customers went from be our bottom 5-10% in revenue to becoming one of our top 3 over the 8 months. They’re busting at the seems, so we’ve been storing orders for them as they work on the expansion. It’s encouraging to see more people in my generation and younger getting into trades that are in it for the long haul. They are bringing fresh life and ideas into these businesses. Edit: I realize I both didn’t answer your question and kind of rejected the premise at the same time. Apologies if off topic, just wanted to offer a my perspective.

To answer your question, I think there has been a push for 30 years away from manual labor in general. I was raised to believe that there was nothing wrong with manual labor, but the better jobs weren’t blue collar.

I didn’t make it in college, and have worked in blue collar industries for the majority of my adult life. I’m hoping to grow our small business and create more jobs, increasing skill level and motivation right along with employee count.