Train to Dominate: Preparing the Next Generation for the Jobs That Will Shape America's Future

A vote for Sholdon is an investment in our youth.

If we want to win the next century, we need to start training for it right now.

That means no more waiting until young people graduate with a mountain of debt and zero real-world skills.

It means anticipating tomorrow’s needs, teaching the right skills early, and sending our youth out into the world with the tools to dominate.

We need electricians, coders, drone techs, welders, cybersecurity pros, EV mechanics, solar panel installers, machinists, and advanced manufacturing specialists.

But instead, we’ve got:

• Kids who can’t change a tire,

• Graduates with no plan besides the military or aimless college,

• And a broken system that treats trades like a “last resort” instead of a path to power and prosperity.

That stops with me.

1. Launch a National Skills Forecasting System

The world is changing fast. And we can’t afford to train for jobs that won’t exist—or ignore the ones that already do.

I’ll lead the creation of a:

• National Workforce Forecasting Council—made up of industry leaders, economists, trade unions, and community colleges.

  
  

• Real-time data reporting on job market trends, skills gaps, and emerging industries.

  
  

• A national Job Skills Heatmap, helping every school district identify what trades and skills are in demand for the next 5–10 years.

📈 Example:

If Dallas/Fort Worth is about to add 30,000 clean energy and logistics jobs, our schools should know before it happens—not after.

2. Make Vocational Training a First-Class Track in High School

For too long, vocational training has been treated like a fallback plan.

It’s time to treat it like what it really is: a launchpad to real success.

I will:

• Require every public high school to offer at least three skilled trades certification tracks, beginning in 10th grade.

  
  

• Fund modern, tech-enabled shop classes with 3D printers, drones, CAD machines, and real industry tools.

  
  

• Incentivize businesses to hire student apprentices, offering tax breaks for participating employers and stipends for students.

Every school should be producing not just graduates, but ready-to-work builders, technicians, and creators.

3. Give Students More Than One Way Out

Right now, the “path” for most high school graduates looks like this:

College with debt,

Military with service,

Or the streets with struggle.

We need to offer more.

I’ll push for:

• A “Next Step Readiness Portfolio” required for every graduate—college acceptance, job offer, certified trade skill, or funded business plan.

  
  

• Expand my America Works Scholarship to fund trade school, business startup, or job relocation expenses for skilled students who don’t choose college or the military.

  
  

• Create an alternative FAFSA for skills-based and vocational programs—with federal grants and equipment vouchers instead of loans.

Example:

A kid graduating as a certified electrician should get a toolkit, startup cash, and a job—not just a handshake and a cap and gown.

4. Dignify the Trades—Culturally and Publicly

We’ve glamorized influencers and celebrities.

It’s time to glorify builders, fixers, makers, and technicians.

I’ll lead a national “Work with Your Hands” public campaign, with:

• Scholarships named after tradesmen, not just Ivy League donors.

  
  

• Partnerships with faith groups, barbershops, and high schools to recruit youth into trades.

  
  

• Recognition programs that honor tradesmen as civic leaders, not just laborers.

The man who wires your house deserves as much respect as the man who wrote the zoning code. Let's start acting like it.

WE DON’T JUST NEED WORKERS—WE NEED WINNERS

The world is changing fast.

The countries who win will be the ones who:

• Forecast the future,

  
  

• Train for it early,

  
  

• And flood the market with people ready to lead.

Let’s stop graduating kids into confusion.

Let’s start sending them into the world with skills, vision, and fire in their belly.

If you believe America should train to dominate—not just survive—follow @SholdonDaniels on X and help me build a vocational training pipeline that powers the next great American century.