Twenty-six states across the country are experiencing a shortage of certified skilled trade instructors despite growing student interest in a career in the trades, which is partly driven by high wages and steady work that is generally resistant to artificial intelligence.

In South Carolina, that interest is being cultivated as early as elementary school with career awareness. Career and technical education, or CTE, continues in middle school with exploration, followed by workforce preparation in high school.

Unfortunately, a pay gap for teachers in CTE may be to blame for the shortage of instructors.

“The wages and salaries and benefits and per diems they’re making on the job make it very hard financially for them to come into essentially a job that pays scale,” said Stephen Lipster, director of the Charleston Electrical Training Alliance in North Charleston, S.C.

Conversely, Lipster commented on rising local demand for workers in fields such as electrical engineering and construction, with many of the area’s corporations eagerly seeking qualified employees. “We’re being told by our clients that we’re looking at 10 years’ worth of work at four or five facilities—huge facilities. So, the need for qualified electrical workers is huge.”

The challenge is finding competent professionals who are committed to teaching.

“We struggle to bring those professionals and those technical experts into the classroom to work with kids,” said Richard Gordon, executive director of the Charleston County School District’s CTE department.

To help offset the shortage, the Charleston County School District offers a five-year pilot program in which skilled professionals with a bachelor’s degree in their field can earn certification while they teach. With 50 different CTE career paths from which to choose, this program is helping the district remain fully staffed, according to leaders.

According to Lipster, some corporations are offering grants or other assistance to support skilled professionals interested in teaching:

“Some of those really big hitters understand the value of an electrical worker, understand the shortage and are actually taking financial steps to improve that pipeline,” he said.