In this Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, file photo, Green Bay East senior Eric Cardona inspects the underside of a car during a City Stadium Automotive class at East High School, in Green Bay, Wis. The class is part of the …Vince Gregg, principal of Blue Ridge Technical Center in Front Royal, Virginia, says he learned the hard way about the costs of accumulating four years of college debt.
Blue Ridge is one of the many high school, community college and trade group vocational-technical programs that have reported enrollment growth since the pandemic as the cost of four-year programs soars and employers eliminate college degree requirements. Mr. Prokop said the average age of his students has dropped from 28 to 22 years old over the past six years. He noted that most go from earning $18 to $25 per hour as a plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, computer technician, or construction worker within two years of graduation.Advocates say trade schools offer a better return on investment to many students than four-year liberal arts colleges, with starting salaries averaging $50,000 per year for apprentice graduates.
“Our apprentices participate in a five-year apprenticeship; they ’earn while they learn’ by working full-time for a signatory contractor and attending related training classes at our training facility,” Mr. Spencer said. “Right now, our contractors have more than a fair amount of work and backlog.” According to the latest figures from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, enrollment in public two-year colleges surged by 4.7% from 4.2 million students in spring 2023 to 4.4 million in spring 2024, driven by an uptick in students seeking trade credentials.
• Mechanic and repair trade programs saw an enrollment surge of 14.9% from 96,289 to 109,932 students• Enrollment increased by 7.7% in culinary programs, from 54,437 to 58,644 students. Mr. Sizemore credited an “emphasis on clean and sustainable energy construction, a thriving industrial sector and the undertaking of megaprojects” as factors attracting new workers to his industry.