Skills USA, the nonprofit partnership of students, instructors and industry, recently got some positive publicity when Mike Rowe appeared on the “Fox and Friends” morning show.

Rowe, the former host of “Dirty Jobs,” has become a champion of the skilled trades and has made the rounds on TV and in Congress to highlight career and technical education as an alternative to the four-year degree.

In the segment, Rowe talked with anchors Ainsley Earhardt and Steve Doocy about his involvement with the 2017 SkillsUSA Championships in Louisville.

“It’s a very big deal,” Rowe said. “Once a year, we try to come and shed light on this. It’s huge. If we focus on this organization, it’s our best hope of closing the skills gap.”

The mikeroweWORKS Foundation is in its seventh year of support for SkillsUSA. The foundation focuses on students working toward careers in manufacturing, construction, automotive technology and other STEM-related occupations.

The 2017 scholarship fund assisted approximately 100 students. Since 2011, the mikeroweWORKS Foundation has provided travel scholarships to nearly 400 SkillsUSA students, representing an investment of more than $365,000 in America’s future skilled workforce.

“The skills gap is not only real, it’s a reflection of what we value,” Rowe said. “To close the gap, we need to change the way the country feels about work. My foundation supports SkillsUSA because it celebrates the kind of skills that are actually in demand. Through excellence and competition, SkillsUSA encourages real-world training, and in the process, lays the foundation for thousands of careers in the skilled trades. SkillsUSA works.”