Amidst technological advancements and the escalating costs of college and university education, a recent study suggests that many members of Gen Z (those born between 1995 and 2009) in the US are increasingly inclined to pursue trades and blue-collar jobs that are not susceptible to being replaced by AI over time.

These jobs are here to stay,” Lincoln Tech CEO Scott Shaw said. In a recent interview with FOX Business, he also emphasized that

„Since COVID, people are kind of catching the wave and understanding the need for trades,”

– writes The Post Millennial news site.

During the COVID pandemic lockdowns when the government classified certain jobs as „essential,” Shaw said the students from his school were in those roles. „They were in the hospitals. They were keeping transportation, keeping your Amazon deliveries, getting to you,” he said.

„About 20% of our students are right out of high school,” Shaw noted. „About 50% are 21 and younger, but the average age of our students is 25,” he said.

In a National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report from the 2022-23 school year, the number of students earning a degree from an undergraduate program fell for the second year in a row, down 2.8%, or 99,200 students, from the year before. Furthermore, the number of students earning a certificate rose to the highest level in the last ten years with 6.2% or 26,900 students.

Ken Coleman, from Ramsey Solutions, pointed to a shift in the type of work young people want to do. He said 75% of Gen Z is saying they are interested in being an entrepreneur. They want to work for themselves, as trades offer a quicker, cheaper path to being able to work for themselves.

„They create jobs for other people, and plug into, which is the real backbone of our economy, small business. This trend will continue because I think trade schools aren’t just a traditional plumber or electrician anymore. It’s also technology,” he noted.

A report from last year noted that a study from the Federal Reserve Economic Data found construction programs had a 19.3% increase year over year, while culinary had a 12.7% increase, and mechanical had an 11.5% increase.