BigRentz, an online construction equipment rental network, recently conducted a survey that reveals young workers have an inaccurate view of trade schools and their potential for good jobs and pay, according to www.forconstructionpros.com.
The survey has highlighted the need to better educate the public regarding the benefits of vocational training to help resolve the significant labor shortage facing the U.S. Employers are struggling to fill a record 7 million new job openings, and there has been a gradual decline in trade school enrollment.
BigRentz surveyed 3,000 people ages 18 to 24 regarding the advantages of a trade school compared with a four-year college. The results showed:
- Only 11 percent think trade schools lead to high-paying jobs.
- Fifty-four percent think the trade school pay gap is higher than it really is.
- Young workers do not associate job security with trade schools.
- Forty-one percent of young adults would attend a trade school for better job opportunities and pay.
"I speak to contractors on a daily basis whose businesses are affected by not having the skilled employees they need for the job," says BigRentz CEO Scott Cannon. "It's time we seek positive action and address the skills gap that's impacting our economy. Across Europe, and in countries like Switzerland, 70 percent of young people are apprentices, providing the country with a steady stream of trained, experienced workers—it's time we took a page out of their book."
