I've owned and operated trade schools for 40 years and Gen Z is onto something: the tide is turning

Vocational colleges have long been overlooked, misunderstood, and underappreciated. But now they’re having an unmistakable moment.

A recent survey offers a case in point. Only 16% of Gen Z parents now believe a college degree guarantees long-term job security, according to research from Jobber, a home services software maker. Indeed, 77% of Gen Zers themselves indicate that choosing a career resistant to automation is a “top priority.”

The professions that Gen Z parents ranked most “AI-resistant” were plumbers, HVAC technicians, electricians and nurses” – most of whom undergo training at vocational schools.The higher-education sector once stigmatized these trade and technical schools. Vocational schools were, after all, decidedly blue-collar. Mainstream society, generally intent on groo