An unmistakable trend has taken hold in higher education, with more students turning their backs away from the traditional four-year diploma and toward colleges that provide skilled training for dozens of in-demand jobs with strong prospects for growth and higher salaries.
As noted in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, the appeal of vocational training is sweeping up students even in white collar families where the assumption was always that the kids would be heading off to college. Many are now re-evaluating their options and discovering their future lies in a trained skill.
The Journal notes that enrollment in vocational schools rose 16% last year, with students studying construction trades up 23% just in the past 5 years. Technical colleges are seeing a surge of enrollment in a wide range of high-skill jobs, from carpentry to welding, from HVAC to electricians, and everything in between.
Sparking this renewed appreciation for technical and vocational colleges is a rosy outlook for long-term earning potential and job security, given our nation is suffering through a skilled-labor shortage and the need for skilled workers is projected to accelerate.
Other factors driving students to vocational schools are the excesses, costs, failed promises, and woke agendas for which the vast majority of America’s four-year public and private colleges are guilty. Gen Z is seeing that half of college graduates work in a field that does not require a college degree and wonder why they should take on a six-figure debt that may not be necessary or relevant to their future career.
This is a point upon which vocational training advocate and “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe has been expounding for some time, noting in a recent interview that Gen Z now rank the importance of a traditional college degree near the bottom on their list of priorities.
Said Rowe, “The parents and guidance counselors are, truly believe that the best path for their kids, is this most expensive path. But the latest research — when you really sit people down and take a deep, deep dive … Gen Z right now is ranking the importance of a college education out of 50 different things at 47.”
The benefits are numerous for students who take the career-training path: no student debt, high starting wages, future income growth, high job security, and a high level of job satisfaction. The Journal article further notes the entrepreneurial spirit that vocational training sparks, with graduates envisioning a future of starting their own company.
Given America’s dearth of skilled workers, the uptick in vocational enrollment bodes well not only for workers but our entire economy. It offers choice and opportunity for millions of current and future Americans who don’t see the value of spending four years to earn a degree that likely won’t justify its cost. Blue collar work is shedding its image as a second-class occupation, and career training and vocational institutions are leading the way.
