(NewsNation) — “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe has been advocating the importance and value of trade jobs for years, and once again, his foundation is offering $1 million in what he calls “work ethic” scholarships as a big incentive to learn a trade.

He argues that “cookie-cutter advice” of telling everyone that a four-year degree is the best hope of success has limited opportunities for America’s youth and hurt the workforce. He noted Thursday during an appearance on “CUOMO” that there are currently 11 million open jobs.

“People are different … and we all know that telling every boy and girl that they need to go in a particular way is dumb, but we just can’t help it,” he said.

You can watch his interview in the player above.