Free trade-career platforms launch to help close U.S. skills gap

By AI, Created 10:01 PM UTC, May 27, 2026, /AGP/ – Two new free platforms, YouthSkilledTrades.com and AdultSkilledTrades.com, are now live to connect students, parents, adult job seekers, veterans and employers with skilled trades training and career tools. The launch comes as the U.S. faces a projected 2.1 million-worker shortfall in skilled trades and new federal Workforce Pell Grants begin July 1.

Why it matters: - The U.S. is projected to face a shortage of 2.1 million skilled trade workers by 2030. - The release says that gap could cost the economy up to $1 trillion a year if it is not addressed. - New Workforce Pell Grants begin July 1, 2026, and could widen access to short-term workforce training for eligible programs. - The platforms aim to make career paths, funding options and wage comparisons easier to find in one place.

What happened: - YouthSkilledTrades.com and AdultSkilledTrades.com launched as free national platforms for students, parents, adult career changers, veterans, schools, workforce boards, unions and employers. - Charles Switzer founded both platforms. - The sites are live now at YouthSkilledTrades.com and AdultSkilledTrades.com.

The details: - The platforms are free to use and free to register. - Users do not need a login unless they want saved education and career matches and automatic alerts about new opportunities. - The career quiz helps users explore skilled trade paths, including healthcare trades, construction, technical, mechanical and service-related careers. - The College vs. Trades Debt Calculator compares student loan debt, lost wages, apprenticeship income and early-career earnings. - The Workforce Pell Grant Checker helps schools, colleges and training providers assess whether short-term programs may fit the new eligibility rules. - The Salary Gap Calculator uses state-adjusted data to compare income outcomes across career choices. - The parent section covers skilled trades, funding options, apprenticeships, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act resources, Pell Grants, school selection and career planning. - The directory includes 905 skilled trades institutions. - The sites also include job and apprenticeship listings, scholarship resources, career videos, wage data across all 50 states, healthcare trades information, and guidance for adult learners, veterans and dislocated workers. - The platforms support both free and paid listings for colleges, universities, trade schools, workforce boards, unions, apprenticeship sponsors, employers and nonprofit organizations. - Paid listing plans start at $49 per month.

Between the lines: - The launch reflects a broader effort to package career discovery, funding navigation and employer access into a single search experience. - The inclusion of healthcare trades suggests the platforms are trying to broaden the definition of skilled trades beyond construction and mechanical work. - The timing before Workforce Pell Grants take effect suggests the sites are positioning themselves as a guide for schools and training providers that want to align programs with new federal aid.

What’s next: - The directory and resource library are expected to keep expanding. - Schools, training providers and employers can use the paid and free listings to reach prospective students and workers. - AdultSkilledTrades.com is set up to help users navigate WIOA funding, GI Bill program search, apprenticeship discovery and training connections.

The bottom line: - The new platforms are designed to turn a fragmented skilled-trades search into a single free starting point at a moment when employers need workers and new federal training money is about to open up.