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The Essential Economy

ACCELERATE the Essential Economy 2026 will convene business and policy leaders, educators, small and mid-sized business owners, and Essential Economy workers to explore cross-sector solutions to closing America's skilled trades gap. Jessica S. is a heat treatment plant manager.

America’s Skilled Trades Gap Demands Faster Action

Let’s Accelerate Together.

What is the Essential Economy?

Ford HQ

26.06.25

The Essential Economy — comprising industries like construction, manufacturing, energy, public services, transportation and logistics, and skilled trades — employs 95 million workers across 3 million businesses and drives over a third of the U.S. GDP.

Top Stories

Nate Bargatze is the face of the new Real Parts. Real Pros. Real Easy campaign, which launches Oct. 1 across streaming TV, digital video, and social media.

Ford Service’s Biggest Fan Is a Guy Who Doesn't Know What's Under the Hood

In 2026, Ford Philanthropy is focusing on tackling the barriers standing between people and skilled trades careers.

Tackling the Hidden Career Barrier: Transportation

Nate Bargatze is a proud Ford Bronco SUV owner.

Nate Bargatze Talks Skilled Trades and How He Once 'Fixed' His Car with a Tennis Ball

Today, Ford and founding partners at BlackRock, Google, and Carhartt have established the Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades.

Ford Joins BlackRock, Google, and Carhartt to Establish Alliance for America’s Skilled Trades

The Ford and Carhartt partnership will include new merchandise and Ford Trucks, starting with a 2027 Super Duty Carhartt truck, coming later this year.

Forged in Detroit: Ford and Carhartt Partner to Strengthen Essential Economy

Elizabeth Kraft

Ford and Bloomberg Philanthropies are announcing a $5 million investment to help Detroit students prepare for high-demand auto technician careers.

The Future of the Auto Industry Relies on Building a Technician Pipeline

Mary Culler and Daniel Justo

Bonus Episode: Jim Farley & Mike Rowe on the Essential Economy

What We're Reading

The 2020s Will Be A Decade of Upskilling; Employers Should Take Notice

World Economic Forum

Ford CEO Jim Farley Says Tariffs Level the Playing Field: 'Fairest Fight in Decades'

Ford Launches AI-Driven University to Fix Dealership Knowledge Gaps

Benjamin Broomfield

More On The Essential Economy

Jonathan Holmes points to a solar-powered weather reporting station built by students at Ripley Elementary School in Tennessee. The weather station is just one type of project made possible by the school’s Ford Future Builders Lab.

Third Graders Become Engineers Inside This Ford Future Builders Lab

Preproduction model shown. Actual production vehicle may vary. Available Fall 2026. 2027 Ford Super Duty® F-250® XLT model with available Super Duty Carhartt® Package, optional equipment, and extra cost-color option shown.

Meet the 2027 Ford Super Duty Carhartt, Built for the People Who Build America

Ford and Carhartt launched a new program in late 2025 to equip essential dealership technicians with new, durable uniforms — workwear designed to meet the rigorous demands of the modern service bay.

We’re Running Out of People Who Keep Us on the Road. Here’s One Way Ford Is Addressing That

A teacher at the Haywood High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) center, holds luggage tags made by students in the Brownsville, Tenn., school using technical equipment in the school’s Ford Future Builders Lab, April 14, 2026. The lab is one of several that opened this academic year in West Tennessee to assist K-12 students and their teachers to learn about tools of skilled trades, including laser cutting, 3D printing and coding. (Rogelio V. Solis for Ford Communications)

New High-Tech Labs Put Professional Tools in the Hands of West Tennessee Students

Yesiah demonstrates how he has learned to weld at the Breithaupt Career Technical Center. After graduation, he plans to go into the trades as a career and has signed a pledge to do so, on May 6, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan.
Photos by Adam Schultz
adam.schultz@gmail.com

It’s Time to Stop Treating Skilled Trade Work as a Fallback

Ford Philanthropy aims to modernize hands-on learning, remove financial barriers to participation, and inspire students by showcasing exciting future careers within the advanced manufacturing and automotive sectors.

Preparing the Next Generation for Future Careers

Third-Party Research

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