​High school graduates are throwing their graduation caps into the air this month, but are they also throwing out their plans for college? Postsecondary plans may look different due to a growing shift in perspective for younger generations. 

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Gen Z is becoming the “toolbelt generation.” This label refers to the uptick in the number of students in this generation who are choosing the trade school path over college. 

The rise in respect and awareness of trade school  

Gen Z’s growing willingness to consider trade school is, without qualification, a good thing. A growing awareness coupled with a decreasing stigma toward trades (sometimes called vocational school or career and technical education) gives people options in schooling and careers. It also changes the narrative around what postsecondary education ought to be. 

For some Utah perspective, according to Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) data, enrollment in the state’s eight public technical colleges increased 4.82% from last year. For degree-granting public colleges and universities, enrollment grew 1.8% for the same period. The higher growth for tech colleges may underline a narrative similar to what we hear in the headlines: Trade schools are becoming more popular.  

The data show other interesting trends. This year, there was a slight dip in the number of high school concurrent enrollment in the technical colleges. Additionally, trade school enrollment in the state was higher in 2018-19 than it is now. It dipped in 2019-20 and was even lower in 2020-21. Certainly, the shutdowns and social distancing of the pandemic created unique challenges for the highly hands-on approach that trade schools require. But since then, headcount enrollment has steadily climbed, gaining on where it was prior to the pandemic. If the trend continues, and if Gen Z continues to be wary of traditional college, we could anticipate that enrollment will eclipse what it was a few years ago. 

For policymakers and other education leaders, the biggest trick in supporting this momentum is to ensure this does not come with a massive pendulum swing, where the response is to denigrate college and lose sight of the benefits of higher education for many. 

A growing concern about the value of college 

A Gallup poll published last summer showed that confidence in higher education has declined significantly – from 57% in 2015 to 36% in 2023. 

With younger students watching the student loan debt crisis and parents hearing tales of indoctrination, Americans have started questioning the value of higher education.  

Conversations with my own Gen Z family members and their friends reflect these changes. One took a gap year, working at a food shop, because she did not want to spend money on college until she had a better idea of her plans. Now she takes a couple of general classes on the side.  

Another paused college (with no immediate timeline to continue) to work full time, get health benefits and move into an apartment of his own.  

One of his friends said categorically she did not plan to ever go to college but instead wants to start a business.  

None of these young adults seemed apologetic or concerned with a stigma.  

In defense of college 

Challenging the norm and assumptions that have been laid before us can be healthy, but the pendulum does not have to swing to the other extreme.  

In rejecting the idea that college is for everyone, we do not have to embrace a new idea that college is bad for everyone. Or suddenly decide that a path leading to a trade is for everyone. In fact, there are still many reasons why a college education matters, and data still shows a broad range of benefits of going to college.  

Research from a February 2024 Kem C. Gardner Institute policy brief titled “The Value of Higher Education” shows many of these benefits. For example, those with a college degree still tend to earn more income, have better employment opportunities, enjoy better health outcomes, rely less on public assistance, show higher rates of volunteerism and voter participation, and are happier and more confident in their future.  

These outcomes are significant and ought to be understood. At the same time, data also shows that the college major one chooses has an impact, at least on the income and financial return on investment. While many scholars say that college is still generally a good choice, rather than asking generically, “Is college worth it?” we might be better served by asking individually, “Is college worth it for me?” 

What we need is a more nuanced conversation about education. 

What does “getting an education” mean? 

Getting an education means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For years, there has been a debate about postsecondary education primarily as a way to launch individuals into a career versus a path to something more like fulfillment and lifelong learning.  

The truth is that both are probably part of it. The greatest value of Gen Z’s increasing interest in trades may be that it helps us think differently about education. Policymakers should avoid extreme shifts in policymaking that elevate one option over the other and instead support all postsecondary options so individuals can make a choice best for them.