Gen-Z is “waking up” to seeing the value in trade schools as enrollment is increasing after several decades of young people overlooking the practice, one welding school CEO says.
“It’s getting a little bit better now. It feels like the youth are waking up, but, for far too long, for 30 to 40 years at least, the public education system really didn’t look at the trades as an upward move,” CEO of Midwest Technical Institute Brian Huff told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
The Midwest Technical Institute was established in 1995 as a welding school that later expanded into training in HVAC, electrical, and healthcare work. The trade school recently started cosmetology and truck driving programs as well.
Huff added that the school is trying to close the trade-skills gap that came as a result of K-12 schools encouraging college attendance as an “upward move.”
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“And for far too long, the public education system basically characterized [trades] as a downward move,” he said.
“Basically, the grand prize is a trip to college,” he continued, “And they made that the goal.”
Enrollment at Midwest Technical Institute has increased by 35% since 2020, Huff told Fox News Digital.
According to the National Clearing House, a research center that focuses on higher education institutions and educational organizations, enrollment in several kinds of trade programs has increased, including mechanical and repair technology, as well as construction. The study, released in the spring, reported further that enrollment in trade schools grew by 19% and that enrollment in public two-year-focused schools increased by 12%.
“That’s why we feel like the youth, that Gen Z generation, is really starting to wake up to the trades. And I don’t see it going away,” Huff said.
Huff touted President Donald Trump’s recently signed “big, beautiful bill” for bolstering trade schools. Under the bill, students can use Pell grant money to pay for short-term workforce training programs offered by some accredited trade schools.
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Huff said the grants will help people who already have experience or are already using their trade skills. They would allow an individual to take a shorter high-quality program to enhance their skills and stack their credentials. Furthermore, it benefits people who don’t have the time to take a standard-length program.
“Being able to fund these shorter programs is going to give a lot more people access to the trades,” Huff said. “Right now they can take something in 8, 10, 12 weeks and get the skills they need and actually get into the job market much quicker and for much less money.”
While enrollment trends show promising signs for trade jobs, there is a large demand for workers to fill vacancies as current tradesmen are retiring soon. There are 320,500 new welders needed by 2029 to meet demand by that year, the American Welding Society reported.
Other trade industries like plumbing, construction, truck driving, and HVAC/R Technicians face similar circumstances.
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