SALENA ZITO: Mike Rowe scholarship highlights the lost virtues of hard work and sweat.

Rowe said in an interview that he was inspired to create the scholarship fund in the summer of 2008. “Dirty Jobs was a runaway hit, the country was entering a recession, unemployment was headline news,” he said. “But everywhere I went on Dirty Jobs, I saw ‘Help Wanted’ signs. It slowly dawned on me that high unemployment did not necessarily stem from a lack of opportunity. I remember being surprised to learn that 2.3 million jobs were open when the unemployment rate surpassed 10%.”

When a financial reporter at the Wall Street Journal asked his take on how such a skills gap could exist during times of high unemployment, Rowe shared his theory.

“Much of society had waged a war on work,” he said. “And I talked at length about the stigmas and stereotypes that surrounded many of the jobs we featured on the show, along with the myths and misperceptions that keep so many people from exploring a career in the trades.”

The reporter printed Rowe’s thoughts, word for word, and the next day, his phone started ringing off the hook. Companies and organizations wanted to partner with him to make a more persuasive case for the jobs in their industries.

“That’s what convinced me to do something; something to help the industries that had allowed me to get and keep Dirty Jobs on the air,” he said. “That led me to launch an informal PR campaign for unloved jobs that required skill, and not a four-year degree. I called it mikeroweWORKS and launched it on Labor Day of 2008.”

That led to an Online Trade Resource Center built by fans of the show — a job board of sorts for skilled trade workers.

“Today, we’re primarily a scholarship fund with an advocacy arm — which is me,” said Rowe.

Applicants must earn the scholarship, much like they would get a job through merit.

Is that even allowed?