While college tuition continues to balloon even as graduation rates fall, more students — including high-achieving ones — are beginning to look toward trade schools.
Western Pennsylvania honors student Raelee Nicholson recently expressed her desire to enroll in a two-year technical program for diesel mechanics in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Despite the conventional wisdom of adults telling her that college is better, Nicholson is seeking out a different path.
Though the number of college enrollees is increasing, more than 40 percent of students do not graduate within six years, saddling them with debt and low job prospects. Moreover, of those who do graduate in four years, a third of them work in jobs that do not require this level of education.
Other students certainly face a similar conundrum as Nicholson, feeling that they are going against the popular narrative that college is a necessary pursuit. Vocational education has traditionally been thought of as the landing place for those not academically inclined, but the current market demands are changing that narrative.
The choice to pursue trades that do not require a traditional bachelor’s degree, especially those in the tech industry, is facilitated by a rise in states and high school programs emphasizing them. Last year, 49 states put policies in place to support some form of career and technical education.
Pennsylvania and Michigan are two states leading the way toward de-stigmatizing trade education.
Pennsylvania has more than 80 career and technical education-dedicated centers and 120 school districts offering vocational programs in high schools. The state also provided $15 million for grants to support the establishment and enhancement of these programs in 2016.
Similarly, Michigan conducted the Going PRO campaign to spread the narrative that skilled trades are viable careers requiring less debt and school than a four-year degree. Since that time, the state has experienced a rise in high school students enrolled in career and technical programs, adding nearly 5,000 students since 2015.
Michigan high schools have added tech-focused career and technical education pathways such as cybersecurity, cyberforensics, and programming. An overwhelming demand exists for such courses, according to current teachers, as they provide students with the credentials necessary to pursue jobs in this field outside of high school, as well as internship and job shadow opportunities.
If more states follow Michigan and Pennsylvania’s example, increasing numbers of high-achieving students like Nicholson may begin to turn the tide against the focus on four-year degrees.
Kate Hardiman is pursuing a master’s in education from Notre Dame University and teaches English and religion at a high school in Chicago.
