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Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs" fame recently appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher." Regardless of your opinion of Maher, listen to what Rowe has to say (although there is some blue language in the piece). It's a useful conversation in which Rowe asserts students are going into deep debt to go to college and study for jobs that don't exist. He basically outlines a more practical approach to education and job training by encouraging pursuit of vocational training and STEM degrees — and more closely matching workforce needs with educational efforts. That is something Hoosier legislators on both sides of the aisle stress these days — and so do we.

Rowe also has a web site at www.profoundlydisconnected.com. Also see www.indianaskills.com, part of the Chamber's Ready Indiana program, for statistics on jobs and skills that require less than a four-year degree.

Ready Indiana recently participated in a meeting including Gov. Mike Pence and German officials on the skills gap topic, as well.