Trends are suggesting that fewer and fewer people will be opting for a four-year college degree in the future. The average student who takes out student loans ends up with nearly 30,000 dollars to pay back, and many graduates just aren’t seeing a return on their investment: About 44% of graduates end up at a job that doesn’t require a college degree.
So what is the future of higher education? Some say it’s vocational and trade schools – programs that offer more technical training in specialized fields – many which traditionally haven’t required a bachelor’s degree.
But is our education system set up for students in vocational schools to succeed? What about students who don’t go to college? What sort of economic outlooks will they be looking at?
Guests on this show include:
Doug Belkan, covers higher education and national news out of the Chicago bureau of The Wall Street Journal and author of Why an Honors Student Wants to Skip College and Go to Trade School.
Sheila Harrity, Superintendent-Director of Montachusett Regional Vocational School District.
Alan Gallegos, Associate Director, Career and Workforce Education, Maryland Higher Education Commission.
This is a re-broadcast from May 16, 2018.
