AS COLLEGE COSTS INCREASE, ARE MORE PEOPLE GOING INTO THE TRADES?

By Jack Etzel

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the year 2010, there will be approximately 2.3 million unfilled jobs in various skilled trades. Another survey from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau shows that approximately one-third of the fastest growing occupations require either a postsecondary vocational certificate or an associate's degree.

With the number of retiring baby boomers increasing every day and the costs of college tuition rising, more and more students and employers are beginning to look at the benefits of trade and technical schools as career opportunities. In the North Hills, many students are first introduced to the trades through the A.W. Beattie Career Center, whose slogan reads, “18 Programs . . . A Million Possibilities.” North Hills Monthly recently spoke to Beattie Administrative Director Kathryn Ingram to learn more about who attends technical schools and why.

North Hills Monthly Magazine: First, can you explain to our readers what Beattie Career Center’s connection is to local high schools and how it works?

Kathryn Ingram: We serve nine school districts in the North Hills, including Avonworth, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel Area, Hampton Township, North Allegheny, North Hills, Northgate, Shaler and Pine-Richland. Beattie is run by what we call a joint operating committee, an 18-member board made up from those nine school districts. Let me add that here in Pennsylvania, the State Department of Education requires that every district offer the opportunity for every student who wants to attend a technical school to have access to one.

NHMM: Is it true that technical schools are basically an alternative to college?

Ingram: That’s not true. People are often mistaken in thinking that if they come for career training, they can’t or won’t go to college, but many students do go on to college. The good news about that is that they can get college credits. For example, our robotics program has an agreement with California University and Carnegie Mellon. When our robotics program students leave here, they get 21 credits toward their college degrees.

NHMM: So some students are college-bound and some aren’t.

Ingram: Of course. Many students do attend trade schools because they don’t want to go to college. They may like to work with their hands or they want to go into a trade or business. But as you said, some can’t afford the cost of college. We see some students use what they’ve learned in a technical school to help pay their own way. Some, for example, go through the cosmetology program and then use those skills to work their way through college. They’ll take their state board exams and have their licenses by the time they graduate.

NHMM: Do you see a direct correlation between rising college tuition and an increase in the number of students attending technical schools?

Ingram: Not really. In the seven years that I have been here, we’re seen about a 25 percent increase, but most of that cannot be tied directly to college costs. The recent poor economy is a more likely source of recent increased enrollments.

NHMM: When most of us think of a trade school, we think of turning out plumbers, electricians and the other trades that the country clearly can’t run without. But readers today might be surprised at just how big the potential career possibilities are.

Ingram: There are the usual trades as you mention, but opportunities go far beyond those to include auto tech, auto body, heating and air conditioning, carpentry, building construction, culinary, cosmetology, child care, dental, health occupations, health science technology and emergency medical technology. We offer four very different computer programs, including robotic computing and programming. We also have a commercial arts program that includes everything from pen and ink to computer graphics, website design, digital photography and more. In our entrepreneurial program, we teach students how to run their own businesses.

NHMM: Are there statistics or studies that show specific jobs in relation to what students learn at technical and trade schools?

Ingram: Absolutely. We just did a big study about this time last year with the Three Rivers Work Force Investment Board. That board studied our programs and curriculums, and then matched those up with the jobs that are out there in the Pittsburgh area and statewide as well. They were looking at what they call ‘high priority occupations,’ and that study proved that our programs are aligned with those criteria in Allegheny County.

NHMM: How important is it for high school graduates to seek some sort of education beyond those 12 years, whether that be college, a trade school or whatever? Do you have a personal opinion?

Ingram: My opinion is that I would like it to be mandatory to have students who graduate from high school to have at least one year of some kind of technical training. Schools like to say how many of their students go on to college, but how many of them graduate? Sometimes nearly half drop out after their first year. A more important and relevant question is, “How many graduate?” Or, “How many can find gainful employment?”

According to YahooJobs, trades are more 'recession proof' than other careers. In a rough economy, employers may also prefer hiring candidates who already possess requisite skills, rather than having to invest in training.

For more information about local and regional trade schools, visit www.trade-schools.net, where you can search by zip code or area of study. More information about A.W. Beattie Career Center can be found at www.beattietech.com or by calling (412) 366-2800.