Gen Z is Quiet Quitting Higher Education for Trade Schools

Gen Z is Quiet Quitting Higher Education for Trade Schools

Early last year, The Independent Review published an intriguing article: Hyperpoliticization of Higher Ed Trends in Faculty Political Ideology, 1969–Present.

The authors, Phillip W. Magness (senior research faculty and director of research and education at the American Institute for Economic Research) and David Waugh (managing editor at the American Institute for Economic Research), assessed complex data obtained from surveys that evaluated the political views of higher education faculty [e.g., Carnegie Commission on Higher Education Faculty Survey (1969–1984), UCLA-Higher Education Research Institute Faculty Survey (1989–2016)]. The information confirms trends that Legal Insurrection has long noted: Since 2001, 2001 higher education faculty positions have taken a hard, and “professors on the political left are now approaching a supermajority.”

While their findings are interesting, a question they pose about the future consequences of this development is prescient.

A hyperpoliticized academy does not bode well for students, faculty, or anyone interested in serious learning. For many students and for an increasing share of the general public, this has turned the educational experience from one of intellectual pursuit into pure activist sophistry. The only remaining question, then, is how long the public will continue to pay for a university system that no longer aligns with its values or educational priorities.

The answer is: Not much longer.

Courtesy of many independent websites and social media platforms, potential new students can see for themselves the toxic learning environment created by professors and administrators pushing progressive ideology focused on racialism, climate cultism, antisemitism, “gender-fluidity”, and all the other dogma elements that strip away reason, logic, self-responsibility and human dignity. The price for all of this insanity is tens of thousands of dollars for a four-year degree, with some programs at the elite and super-progressive institutions being in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Unfortunately for the leftists dominating American higher education today, graduating students still have to earn a living. So, Gen Z is beginning to vote with its feet and is opting for 2-year trade schools free of hyped-up moral outrage and outrageous expenses.

Community colleges offering vocational programs witnessed one of the highest numbers of student enrollment in fall 2023, as students opting for higher education showed a slight improvement overall from declines seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Those community colleges with a focus on vocational programs saw registrations climb 16 percent, an increase of 112,000 students, substantially higher than the rate seen before COVID, when it rose 3.7 percent. Associate degree programs jumped more than 2.2 percent, to 96,000 students.

The interest in vocational education began to see increases in sign-ups going back to three years ago, Jennifer Causey, senior research associate at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, told Newsweek.

“Since Fall 2021, vocational programs have started to see upticks in enrollments, and specific program families such as Mechanic Repair Technologies grew 11.2 percent this fall alone,” she said.

One factor is that many young Americans considering their future careers are opting for certifications rather than degrees.

Confidence in colleges is falling, and the perceived value of on-the-job training and shorter-term licensure or certificate programs is on the rise, according to a study cited in a March 2024 article by Inside Higher Ed.

Conducted by the marketing research firm Edge Research and HCM Strategists, a public policy and advocacy consulting firm funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the report noted that although 58% of high schoolers and 51% of non-enrolled adults in 2023 believed “you must have a college degree to earn a ‘good job,’” 69% and 65%, respectively, believed certification is enough.

One example of this trend comes from the Independent Electrical Contractors Southern Colorado, an electrical apprenticeship school in Colorado Springs.

Executive Director Dale Weis said registration for programs is up 30% compared to this time last year. He said their programs offering skills in the electrical industry are almost full for the upcoming school year, which he said doesn’t normally happen until August.

“We’re adding two more classrooms this year to accommodate those new students,” said Weis. “It’s an earn-while-you-learn program, which means that the student is working full time for an electrical contractor during the day, and they attend school one night a week for four hours.”

Weis said over the past 15 to 20 years, many electrical professionals have retired from the industry, creating a large deficit of skilled workers in the trade.

It must be noted that gender is not fluid in electrical safety, which may add appeal for potential students.

When was the last time a trade school closed because of a “tentifada” protest? How often to plumbing instructors ask for pronouns? Would welding masters for their trainees to read materials related to “whiteness and microaggressions“.

This country’s young men and women want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thanks to reports from independent news sources and evidence on social media, they are beginning to chart a new course that doesn’t include indoctrination programs from elite colleges and universities.

According to new research more Gen Zers are choosing trade school to learn skills and degrees are looking more of a hassle. I discussed this and the rising increase of suicide rates amongst those in trades with NTD news’ Sean Marshall. Full story here: https://t.co/o3R36ncEk4 pic.twitter.com/6CG7itwNqY

— Stephanie Alston (@Steph_R_Alston) July 17, 2024

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