Victor Taft has got it figured out.
Until recently, the high school junior wasn鈥檛 quite sure what he wanted to do, but he had a vague sense that typical school wasn鈥檛 for him 鈥� and that he wanted to be in trades. And so he enrolled at the Central Vermont Career Center in Barre his sophomore year, and, after taking their exploratory classes, decided to apply to the center鈥檚 electrical program. He got in.
There, under the tutelage of a licensed, master electrician, Taft is learning what it means to electrify residential and commercial spaces. At the beginning of the year, he and his classmates framed out rooms in a large, warehouse-like space at CVCC. Now, they鈥檙e wiring them up for different scenarios.
That kind of practical, hands-on work 鈥� overseen by a licensed, master electrician 鈥� will put Taft on the fast track to a career that the state鈥檚 labor department anticipates will see in the next 10 years. If he passes an exam at the end of the year, he鈥檒l have completed the first of a four-year registered apprenticeship, which is required for licensure.
鈥淚'm already getting a really good head start,鈥� he said.
Others, apparently, are interested in that same head start. Taft鈥檚 program saw 49 applicants last year 鈥� for just 16 slots. And that wasn鈥檛 even CVCC鈥檚 most popular program. That would be automotive tech, which saw 77 applicants 鈥� also for just 16 spots. That means the process for getting into CVCC's high school automotive tech program is now more competitive than receiving admission to the University of Vermont, the state's most selective public college.
鈥淚t breaks my heart that we have a lot of people applying, which is beautiful and sad because we can't take them all,鈥� said CVCC Director Jody Emerson. The center, which serves six high schools across the region and currently shares space with Spaulding High School, is so maxed-out it鈥檚 hoping to ask voters to approve a bond this upcoming fall for a brand new space.
The story of Vermont鈥檚 schools these days is largely defined by a declining number of school-aged kids. But the state鈥檚 17 career and technical education centers are beating the odds 鈥� and seeing an increase in applicants.
While not every single CTE center or program is thriving, in general, enrollment is up statewide. It was holding steady before the pandemic, despite general declines in the high school-aged population. But now, after COVID-19, the number of kids signing up for technical education is on a marked upward trajectory.
鈥淥ur CTE center directors talked a lot about how parents and students contacted them during and immediately after the pandemic to talk about jobs that seemed pandemic proof or very safe to pursue in New England,鈥� said Ruth Durkee, who oversees CTE education for the Vermont Agency of Education.
Taft has noticed this newfound interest, including among his friends. And he attributes it to a 鈥渃ultural shift.鈥�
鈥淐ollege was so pushed. Now, people are seeing that there's a lot of other really good ways and a lot more fun ways to make money. Personally, it's why I'm doing electrical,鈥� he said.
When it comes to CTEs, much of the political conversation in recent years has revolved around dismantling the stigma that has long clung to the trades. And while students and educators in Vermont鈥檚 CTE centers say those attitudes aren鈥檛 yet a thing of the past, they are starting to fade.
Payton Tomasi-Douglas came to CVCC鈥檚 exploratory program from U-32 in East Montpelier. And she thinks the uptick in interest is due in part to the growing understanding that a CTE education can be a good fit even if you aren鈥檛 struggling with traditional schooling.
And while some people do apply because they think they can get away with doing less homework, she said, those students don鈥檛 tend to stick around.
鈥淚 think now that people are starting to, like, actually comprehend that,鈥� Tomasi-Douglas said.
Leeann Wright, who has been the director at the Northwest Career and Technical Center in St. Albans for over a decade, has seen a similar shift. All but two programs at Northwest are running waitlists this year 鈥� more than Wright has ever seen in her 13-year tenure.
Back when she started in her job, the trades weren鈥檛 respected as much, she said. But now parents are far more open-minded when kids show an interest in becoming auto mechanics, cosmetologists or electricians. After being pushed for so long, Wright said, the idea that students must pursue a four-year college degree after high school 鈥渋s now not the norm.鈥�
Her struggle, now, is meeting this newfound demand. Because while it鈥檚 tough to hire an electrician, plumber or welder nowadays, it鈥檚 doubly difficult to find one willing to take a pay cut to teach 鈥� instead of practice 鈥� their trade.
鈥�We are challenged with finding qualified teachers because they can make a salary in those trades that far surpasses what an educational salary is,鈥� she said.
This turn away from four-year degrees and toward the skilled trades isn鈥檛 unique to Vermont. Last April, the Wall Street Journal dubbed Gen Z the so-called "." Jay Ramsey, the director of workforce development at the Vermont Department of Labor, said he鈥檚 hearing about this trend from his counterparts in other states.
The experience of 鈥淶oom school鈥� during the pandemic appears to have prodded more students in the direction of a hands-on educational experience, he said 鈥� as has anxiety around student loans and financial precarity more generally.
鈥淭hat is against the backdrop of inflation, and all of the other things that are going on in the economy that are affecting people's finances,鈥� he said.
Now that the culture is shifting, the difficult part will be building out that pipeline. Schools across Vermont need expensive upgrades, but expanding a CTE center requires specialized equipment and the space to accommodate it. And teachers, which are scarce in general education already 鈥� particularly in rural areas 鈥� are even harder to find for trade programs.
鈥淚f you want to expand, that's great. Where is the space? If you find the space, great,鈥� Ramsey said. 鈥淣ow you have to find a teacher.鈥�
