More students choosing trade schools as college enrollment drops
Trey Rorie
January 4, 2024
As the cost of college continues to climb, more young people are turning to trade schools to learn the skills they need to get a job.
“I think society has been pushing the idea on students that success equals a four-year college degree for a long time now,” said Gregg Vincent, principal of Blue Ridge Technical Center in Front Royal. “As economic and employment conditions change across the country, many are beginning to see the trades and other skilled labor as a viable route to prosperity that does not require financing tens of thousands of dollars in student debt.”
But it’s not just the high cost of college and the prospect of burdensome student loans that are turning students to the trades, Vincent said. In recent years, there’s been a renewed appreciation for people who can craft things with their hands and fix things that are broken.
From spring 2021 to spring 2022, many trade school disciplines saw significant increases in enrollment in two-year skilled trade programs, including a 11.5% increase in mechanic and repair, a 127% increase in personal and culinary courses and a 19.3% increase in construction trades, according to the National Student Clearinghouse.
