Gen Zers are 'catching the wave' of blue-collar jobs that AI can't take, tech CEO says

Amid high costs and controversies surrounding college education – coupled with the threat that artificial intelligence poses on certain white-collar jobs – much of Gen Z is leaning towards pursuing trade schools and blue-collar jobs with that tech gap in mind.

"These jobs are here to stay," Lincoln Tech CEO Scott Shaw told FOX Business' Stuart Varney on Tuesday. "Since COVID, people are kind of catching the wave and understanding the need for trades."

Shaw explained that there is a demand for essential workers and that his schools' students were essential during the pandemic.

"They were in the hospitals. They were keeping transportation, keeping your Amazon deliveries, getting to you."

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Enrollment in vocational community colleges is up 16% since 2018, according to a January 2024 National Student Clearinghouse report, as younger generations are turning towards trades and careers instead of paying for college tuition.  

Shaw went on to explain the demographics of those who are turning to trade careers and enrolling in higher vocational education. 

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

He also touched on those students who made a 180-degree turn for the careers they're now pursuing.

"We have a lot of career changers, people that have tried college, and it just wasn't right for them or people that now want to follow their passion."

Another Clearinghouse report released in April detailed the drop in undergraduate completions for the 2022-23 academic year, marking a decline for the second year in a row. However, that year also saw continued growth in first time certificate earners in mechanical or repairs, production and construction trades. 

In the same vein, America's career coach and Ramsey Solutions personality Ken Coleman believes that trades provide a quicker and less expensive alternative to college education. 

"We're seeing that 75% of Gen Z is saying they are interested in being an entrepreneur. They want to work for themselves," he explained on Tuesday's "The Big Money Show," adding that "trades offer a quicker, cheaper path to being able to work for themselves, create jobs for other people, and plug into—which is the real backbone of our economy—small business." 

Coleman said he believes that there will be a "dramatic shift" to trade careers and entrepreneurship in the next couple of years. 

"This trend will continue because I think trade schools aren't just a traditional plumber or electrician anymore. It's also technology."

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The career expert weighed in on those who attend college for professions and industries, such as law, medicine and other sciences where higher degrees are required.

"So there are some very specific industries where college is absolutely worth it," he argued, before listing examples of questions prospective students should ask themselves prior to making a decision about college. 

These questions include the type of college, whether it is private or state-funded, and whether it is considered a bigger or a smaller school, as those answers will help dictate the overall expense.

"At the end of the day, your customer and your employer down the road does not care where you got the degree, right?" Coleman posited.