The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe 448: Sheree Utash—It’s Only the Best School in America
Aug 26, 2025
Mike Rowe chats with Sheree Utash, the President of WSU Tech, a pioneer in workforce education. They dive into how she transformed a community college into a national model for technical training. Sheree emphasizes the importance of skilled trades for America’s future and discusses her collaboration on the mikeroweWORKS curriculum. The conversation tackles finding balance in education between compliance and innovation, advocating for a dignified view of all work, and fostering curiosity among young learners through innovative educational projects.
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Work Ethic Is Reemerging Publicly
- Work ethic is rising as a public conversation and vocational education is being destigmatized.
- Sheree Utash sees measurable progress but insists much more cultural change is needed.
How WSU Tech Adopted The S.W.E.A.T. Pledge
- Sheree found Mike Rowe's S.W.E.A.T. Pledge online early in her tenure and began integrating its tenets into WSU Tech curriculum.
- She started by using the pledge in orientation and later expanded it into formal coursework.
Credentialize Work Ethic For Employers
- Credentialize work ethic so employers can trust graduates' behavior as well as skills.
- Use industry-recognized credentials to signal demonstrated soft skills at interviews.
