With the rise of the information economy, many millennials have steered clear from blue-collar jobs and manual labor, often prodded by their parents to pursue a “real education” and “a better life.

As folks like Mike Rowe have only begun to highlight, such attitudes have led to a serious skills gap in the trades, one thatappears to hold steadyeven in the face of record unemployment. Yet despite these cultural shifts, such work does indeed provide significant value to the economy whileaffirming the dignity and creative potential of the worker.

Thus, while someprefer to hold their noses at the trades, others are seizing it as anopportunity to create and share value. Such is the case at Walker State Prison in Georgia, where a unique welding program offers to train prisoners in thehigh-demand trade ofwelding.

According to theAmerican Welding Society, we will be short bynearly 300,000 welding-related positionsby 2020 (HT), giving participating prisoners a good shot at meaningful careers upon their release.

And the prisoners plaining. They are eager to offer their skills, learn a craft, and contribute to society. Watch some highlights here:

One can’t help but be inspired by Christopher Peeples, for example, who at 26 years old is about to finish a 10-year prison sentence. Thanks to the program, he looks forward to wonderfuljob prospects, and hisDad (a craftsman himself)has been quick to sharein theexcitement. According to NPR, one recent alumnus of the program had three job offers upon his release, one of which offered$50,000 peryear with pany truck.

Ultimately, though, this isn’t about money or even stability. It’s about authentic, whole-life rehabilitation.

By pursuing work in a needed skill — by orienting hearts and hands toward service to othersand thus to God — these men are entering into a transformative, collaborative exchange that willshape their very souls and spirits. Material provision is just thebyproduct.

Of course, it would require no small amountof these programs to fill the skills gap we’re facing, and so thequestion remains: what are others waiting for?

As we continue to expand our economic imaginations and pursue vocational clarity, these prisoners offer a powerfulexample on how we ought to view and approach such work.

What a blessing it truly is.