I was on a business trip recently and I turned on the hotel room television.  After flipping through a few channels, I came upon a show by television personality, Mike Rowe, who is well known for the long-running and fun “Dirty Jobs” show.

This newer show, which I had heard about but never watched, is “How America Works.”  I loved it!  The episode I saw was focused on four workers in a Volvo construction equipment plant.   I listened to the workers and thought, “those accents sound like folks I’ve talked to in Pennsylvania,” where my company has done lots of work.  Sure enough, the plant is based in Shippensburg, PA.

One of the four workers was tasked with keeping parts flowing to the assembly line, another with conducting the assembly of front-loaders, another with doing quality inspections and fixing problems, and another with customizing new machines with upgrades and retrofitting existing equipment.

For years, I’ve enjoyed shows like “How It’s Made.”  I know for some folks, those kinds of tech-intensive shows are good napping fodder, but I just nerd out on them.  But trust me, even if you don’t like those techy shows, you may like How America Works because it is different in two important ways.

1. Connects the Dots to Real Life

First, the episodes give some context about how the product or industry connects to and supports the American economy and society.  For example, Rowe explained how heavy equipment is used in construction, logging, mining, and even managing trash landfills.  He connected the dots to how these machines are essential to industries and explains how these industries (which we usually take for granted) affect the typical American in daily life.  So, the viewer starts to see how this industry affects real life.

2. Focuses on Real People, Not Just the Tech

Second, the show focuses on the individual workers who are getting it done, telling stories about dedicated and hard-working people (unsung heroes) who are essential to a functioning economy and society.  Mike Rowe has enormous respect for all work and workers, so the show mostly focuses on people who don’t have four-year college degrees, but still are smart, skilled, hard-working, and take deep pride in their work.

By showing the big picture impact of heavy equipment on the everyday lives of Americans, this episode provided an understanding about the innate value of the jobs that these workers in the Volvo plant fulfill.  Among many others, some of the industries covered in the show include paper manufacturing, law enforcement, brickmaking, sugar production, the U.S. Navy, corn, and cowboys!

At its core, “How America Works” is about the value of work, the inter-connectedness of what we do and how it impacts others, and promoting a resurgence of what we call “Work Ethic.”  Thank you, Mike Rowe!

Episodes play regularly on the Fox Business Channel, and you can also see excerpts on the website – https://www.foxbusiness.com/shows/how-america-works

 

Hans Meeder is President of the National Center for College and Career Transitions (NC3T). NC3T provides planning, coaching, technical assistance, and tools. These strategies help community-based leadership teams plan and implement their college-career pathway systems and strengthen employer connections with education. Discover more at www.nc3t.com.