Students at St. John the Baptist Public Schools are splitting their time between graduating from high school and taking classes at River Parishes Community College.
The recent partnership between the school system and college allows students to obtain an associate degree in process technology while still in high school.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse, trade school enrollment has grown by almost 20% since 2020. According to Tulane University education researcher Douglass Harris, trade school enrollment is up as a rebound from COVID-19. Harris says the rise of artificial intelligence is playing a role in Gen Zers’ career choices.
“Electricians, plumbers, nurses, these are all jobs that are going to be AI-proof in some sense, probably true for a quite a long time,” said Harris.
Data from the Department of Labor shows that over time, people with four-year degrees still earn high wages. But experts say learning a trade from a two-year school could get you higher wages earlier in your career.
“Trade programs are stable, but on average, less money for most of the jobs you might get if you got a four-year degree, and trade is maybe less susceptible to AI,” said Harris.
West St. John junior Jaleia Wilson says she chose to enroll in the dual enrollment program as a way to explore more career options. She now wants to begin a career as a process tech.
“This program opened up my eyes a lot. It draws me more to be into the industry because I never thought about being in the industry,” said Wilson.
St. John schools offer several technical education courses on high school campuses, such as welding. Recently, the welding program received national awards.
READ MORE:St. John the Baptist students explore trade jobs as vocational school enrollment increases
