Mike Rowe from ‘Dirty Jobs’ visits WSU Tech to promote program, value of skilled labor

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Since 2019, WSU Tech has piloted the MRW Work Etch Certification, a program through the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, promoting skilled labor throughout the U.S. Mike Rowe, the foundation’s namesake, known by many as host of the popular show, “Dirty Jobs,” was in Wichita on Tuesday to shine a brighter light on the program’s success in Kansas through WSU Tech.

Rowe started the mikeroweWORKS Foundation in 2008, campaigning for skilled labor and trade jobs, struggling to keep employees.

“Recruiting is a huge problem today. There are over 8 million positions in the country now. Most of them don’t require a four-year degree, they require the training you get at places like [WSU Tech],” Rowe said.

Schools like WSU Tech are working in conjunction with Rowe’s foundation.

“We had the great fortune to work with Mike Rowe and his team on developing a work ethics curriculum that we now integrate in all of our classes to all of our students and there is an industry credential by Mike Rowe,” said WSU Tech President Sheree Utash.

The certification is designed to help students find jobs and to ensure their ability to keep those jobs.

“It’s important because then, as our students are going out into the workplace, not only do they have the knowledge, the technical knowledge and skills but they also have the behavioral understanding of what good work ethics are,” Utash said.

Rowe continues to emphasize his hope for growth across the U.S.

“I do think that what’s happening [in Wichita] could be a template for the country. Some people are really getting it right and [WSU Tech] was on the leading edge of that.”

Since implementing the certification on WSU Tech’s campus, nearly 2,000 students have completed the program. You can learn more about the curriculum and Rowe’s foundation here: https://mikeroweworks.org/curriculum/.

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