Page 22 - SKILLS - 2023

SPONSORED CONTENT
Infrastructure Projects Are Busting Out All Over
Now We Need Skilled People To Get These Jobs Done
© Construction Industry Council
There’s a seismic shift in education that is now taking place across America.
All but the most elite four-year colleges are feeling the pressure to attract undergraduates to fill their classrooms and lecture halls. The shift began in 2014 as enrollments began declining, and it’s now starting to have jolting impacts on enrollments nationwide. Undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, with declines continuing even after returning to in-person classes, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
In fact, the slide in the college-going rate since 2010 is now the steepest on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. College enrollment statistics indicate that more Americans are forgoing “traditional” higher education;
some may be putting off college attendance to build savings. Enrollment peaked in 2010 at 21.02 million and has declined 9.6%.
So with an unemployment rate currently hovering at 3.3%, where are all the jobs going? Education professionals say the skills development and technical training programs are more affordable than a traditional four-year college or university degree. Many building trades occupations offer a faster and more direct pathway to meaningful jobs and well-paying careers. And that’s where the jobs are.
“When you look at ‘essential workers’ during the pandemic, a lot of those trades never saw a slowdown,” said Nathan Garrett, president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. Given the acute need for trained