Guest Commentary | Salaries, job opportunities renew student interest in the trades
School systems traditionally have championed four-year colleges as offering students the best opportunity for a successful, lucrative career. It was common for teachers and guidance counselors to suggest students consider fields like health care, finance, law and education.
Meanwhile, students with lower GPAs and test scores often were encouraged to consider careers in the trades. Jobs in construction, HVAC, carpentry, welding and others were typically seen as a fallback, a Plan B of sorts if a student’s academic performance was too low to merit offers of admission from universities.
Times have changed, though, and statistics right here in Southwest Florida demonstrate a seismic shift reshaping the local workforce.
Every spring, The School District of Lee County surveys high school seniors about their post-graduation plans. In 2018, 9.6% of seniors planned to enroll in trade or technical schools. By 2025, that rate had nearly doubled to 17.1% of graduating seniors.
Today, high-achieving students are turning down scholarship offers from academically elite institutions in favor of trade schools, apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs. Starting salaries for many careers in the trades now rival wages offered for positions requiring college degrees. And to boot: Trades jobs are in high demand, so many local employers are boosting salaries, offering sign-on bonuses and providing other job perks to fill vacancies.
Case in point: Madison Morosey, a 17-year-old senior at East Lee County High School. She has a 4.12 GPA and was admitted to a state college, but instead opted to apply to Cape Coral Technical College, one of two trade schools operated by The School District of Lee County.
“I am not enrolling immediately in a four-year college or university because I found a program I want to pursue that will give me the hands-on experience and learning I can do for less of a cost,” Madison said.
More than a decade ago, The School District of Lee County recognized the shifting workforce and began bolstering its career academies so middle and high school students could acquire valuable technical skills long before applying for their first job. Students can even complete industry certifications and internships during the school day, fortifying resumes of 17- and 18-year-olds with an attractive balance of academic achievements, professional accomplishment and technical skills.
The School District’s Career and Technical Education program has six career clusters focused on high-demand occupations:
n Building & Fixing: Architecture, Construction, Manufacturing
n Tech & Media: Arts, A/V Tech, Communications, IT
n Business & Money: Business Management, Finance, Marketing
n Helping People: Education, Health Sciences, Hospitality, Human Services
n Safety & Logistics: Law, Public Safety, Transportation
n The World Around Us: Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Energy
As educators, we always encourage students to set ambitious goals and chase their dreams. For some, that means enrolling in college right after high school. For others, that means mastering technical skills or serving in the military. Each of these potential career paths is equally important as educators and businesses partner to develop a stronger, highly trained workforce, and thus a stronger regional economy.
Ed Mathews is associate superintendent for career technical education, school choice and administration for The School District of Lee County. He has been a schoolteacher and administrator in Southwest Florida since 2002.