A trade school can be a better fit than college and lead to a more lucrative career for some students

Visitors to most Chicago public high schools are bound to encounter hallways adorned with pennants and banners sporting the names of colleges from the Ivy League to state universities.

This can make it seem that college is the postsecondary Holy Grail. But not every high school senior applies to college. Many high school graduates are interested in skilled trades like carpentry, cosmetology or welding.

Hoping to avoid soaring college costs and student debt in favor of a faster and more hands-on track into the workforce, some high school graduates are pursuing technical career pathways like apprenticeships and trade school.

Jesus Lopez, 22, had wanted to be an electrician since at least seventh grade when he won second place in a robotic-submarine design competition.

Provided by the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership

As high school graduation loomed, the Melrose Park resident, leery of student loan debt and unenthusiastic about four years of college, eyed trade schools as his next step.

Then a friend told him about internships through the Chicago Cook County Workforce Partnership Opportunity Works program. Lopez was intrigued.

“They could help me go to school and help me find a job, give me guidance on how to be an electrician,” he recalled.

Lopez, who graduated from Proviso Mathematics & Science Academy in Forest Park, said there was a push to go the college route.

“I did feel a little bit of pressure to do what everybody expected me to do,” he said. But his mother supported him “as long as I’m doing something that I love and where I could be financially stable,” he said.

The choice between college and a trade

College is not everyone’s choice. While about 90% of Americans over 25 have a high school diploma, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 34% have a college degree.

But not having a degree does not mean giving up financial security. Eight years after their expected graduation date, students who focused on career and technical education during high school had higher median annual earnings than students who did not, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Lopez took courses through the North Suburban Cook County American Job Center in Wheeling and received help with interviewing and job search skills. Eventually, it landed him a six-week paid internship with Dubak Electrical Group in La Grange Park.

Dubak is one of 90 companies participating in Opportunity Works, a program that reimburses south and west suburban Cook County employers to provide paid training to existing and prospective employees, including 16- to 24-year-olds.

Lopez’s internship was in Dubak’s warehouse and did not involve electrical work. His initiative and enthusiasm prompted the company to hire him as a prefabrication technician.

“Jesus asked questions. I liked his work ethic,” said Aleksandra Vukanic, Dubak’s corporate development and strategy vice president.

Provided by the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership.

Four years ago, the shortage of skilled electricians led the company to create Dubak U., a four-year National Center of Construction Education-accredited apprenticeship program. “The trades have been deemphasized in the high schools. We wanted to help change that,” Vukanic said.

Enrollment increases in career and technical programs

In Illinois, there are more than 283,000 middle and high school students in career and technical programs, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Chicago Public Schools offers 12 career technical education career paths at 86 of its 162 high schools. That includes agricultural sciences, health sciences and culinary and hospitality management programs.

Employment prospects for Lopez and other high school graduates interested in skilled trades are good. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that growth in trade jobs through 2031 will be on par with the average projected growth for all U.S. jobs.

Opportunity Works’ focus on increasing employment prospects for young people is an essential economic and social policy goal, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said.

“We want people connected to the workforce so they have a chance to see what career possibilities are out there. We can’t afford to not invest in [young people],” she said.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, enrollment in trade schools increased from 9.6 million students in 1999 to 16 million in 2014. And trade school is often less expensive than college. The center reports the average cost to complete trade school is around $33,000, comparable to just one year of college.

Lopez said he hopes to enroll in Dubak U. next summer to earn an industrial electrician certificate, adding, “I’m trying to learn as much as I can.”

Youths between 16 and 24 years old who are interested in internships through Opportunity Works can apply here. Businesses seeking to employ an intern can find more information about Opportunity Works here.

Kathleen Hayes is a reporter, writer and education policy expert.