MINNEAPOLIS — A new school year has officially started and with it, new numbers that show a surge in trade schools.

New data from Validated Insights, a higher education marketing firm, reveals a significant increase in trade school enrollment following the pandemic, with a 4.9% growth from 2020 to 2023. This contrasts sharply with a 0.6% decline in university enrollment during the same period.

Besides rising college costs, massive workforce changes and a demand for job-centric skills mean some trade schools, like Minneapolis Community & Technical College , are seeing double-digit attendance increases.

"I love to work with my hands," said first-year student Charles Davidson. "I think that’s the main appeal, is some people are built that way."

Davidson will graduate in two years as a C

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