Community colleges appear to be benefiting from shifting attitudes with Gen Z about the value of a traditional four-year degree and their concerns about prospects in an evolving job market where technology is both disrupting traditional careers and offering new opportunities.
Those are the conclusions from a mix of research and analysis pointing to what the Wall Street Journal has described as the “Toolbelt Generation” — students up to age 25 who are increasingly interested in job training that will get them a stable job quickly and at less cost.
“Yes, we are seeing a notable shift among Gen Z students toward career education, technical training and trade-based pathways,” said Kristen Gonzales, director of public and governmental relations and marketing and communications at MiraCosta College in southern California. “Student debt concerns have led many Gen Z students to seek affordable, high-value education that offers a quicker and more direct entry into the workforce.”
Gonzales and other experts note that various factors are contributing to the trend – not only in traditional trades, which are often perceived differently now by Gen Z, but also in fields like technology and healthcare. For instance, at Warren County Community College (WCCC) in Washington, New Jersey, medical careers and a fast-growing unmanned systems program, involving drones and robotics, are gaining more interest.
“We’ve definitely seen growing interest in nursing and medical assisting programs,” said Marianne Van Deursen, the college’s provost and vice president of academics. “Many young people are drawn to healthcare careers because they offer a clear pathway to meaningful, well-paying jobs in a relatively short amount of time.”
Uptick in interest
WCCC President Will Austin, who has played a key role in building WarrenUAS, the college’s nationally recognized drone training program, said he believes students have an increasing interest in tech jobs that perhaps only require an associate degree or certificate. Warren UAS’s three associate degrees and two certificate offerings have been popular among high school students and others who have postponed enrollment in higher education or been dissatisfied with a four-year institution.
“More young people really want robust, thorough training that leads right to a good-paying job. It might be the career they want or a stepping stone to something else,” Austin said. “That’s where community colleges can make a difference.”
The number of students pursuing shorter-term credentials continues to grow rapidly, with enrollment in undergraduate certificate programs increasing by 7.3%, according to a preliminary report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center on fall 2024 enrollments. There is continued strong interest in the skilled trades and vocational and technical programs, with enrollment gains in mechanical and repair technologies/technicians programs at both the undergraduate certificate (13.6%) and associate-degree (9.6%) levels.
Enrollment also grew significantly for certificate programs in construction trades and engineering technologies/technicians and associate-degree programs in science technologies/technicians, the report says. Most of the top 20 certificate and associate-degree programs are seeing growth, especially in health professions and related clinical sciences.
A range of interests
Tarrant County College (TCC), which has six campuses in the Fort Worth area in Texas, has seen growth in students seeking credentials and degrees in a wide range of programs that efficiently train them for jobs.
“I think there is just a changing mindset among these students in this generation,” said Shelley Pearson, vice chancellor and provost. “I believe they are recognizing that the trades pay well and offer some really great job opportunities – and you don’t need a four-year degree to be successful.”
She sees growth in a variety of career paths where students can, in many cases, begin studies in high school (25% of Tarrant’s students are dual enrollees, taking both high school and college courses simultaneously) and quickly gain training for jobs in careers ranging from healthcare and HVAC, to filmmaking and aviation mechanics.
“It is the economics, but also they want to do something they are interested in,” she said. “They aren’t ruling anything out, and with them many jobs don’t have the stigma they once did.”
Many experts attribute the trend to a familiar concern about the value of a four-year degree and a stream of media reports about students with three-figure debt and only a job at Starbucks to show for it.
‘I think some are discouraged about the return on their investment after hearing so many horror stories about students saddled with huge debts and no job in the career they chose,” Austin said. “I also think this generation just wants to get to work and feel good about a job in a field where they’ve been well trained.”
An eye on AI
Technology, especially AI, as a disruptor in the traditional workforce is also what’s partly driving young people’s concerns about jobs, which affects their decisions about postsecondary education, according to a Society of Human Resource Management report.
“The rapid advancement of AI has sparked significant discussions about its implications on the job market,” the report said. “While AI has the potential to streamline processes, boost efficiency, and revolutionize industries, it also introduces uncertainties surrounding employment.”
On the other hand, some experts believe that certain trade careers are more interesting to Gen Z because the work is changing and more often utilizes new technology. MiraCosta’s Gonzales said car repair offers a good example.
“Modern vehicles are now primarily electronic, a stark contrast from the mechanical focus of the 1970s to 1990s,” she said. “Similar shifts are happening across multiple fields, making AI literacy and technological adaptability essential for the future workforce. Rather than AI replacing jobs, the reality is that those who understand how to use AI effectively will secure the jobs.”
Pearson agreed and noted that Tarrant County College’s automotive program and aviation training involving sophisticated technology are very popular and offer students excellent pay upon graduation with credentials or a two-year degree. Meanwhile, within the tech sector, the college’s cybersecurity program began in 2017 with 42 students and now has 1,700.
“The great thing is, all these students can begin studies learning some fundamental skills and a certificate and get a job, but they also can add training and advance,” she said.
On the horizon
A 2024 study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce anticipates a healthy uptick in available “good jobs” over the next decade. Even though the bulk of those jobs will require baccalaureates, a good chunk will still be open to those who earn an associate degree, certificates, certifications or some college.
By 2031, the number of good jobs in the U.S. will grow to 87.8 million, up 21% from 2021, according to projections by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Most of those jobs — 58.2 million, or 66% — will be on the bachelor’s degree pathway. Nearly 20% (16.4 million) will be on the middle-skills pathway, which is the pathway for which most community colleges prepare students. About 15% of the new good jobs will require at least a high school diploma.
The growth among middle-skills jobs will include both professional white-collar occupations and traditional blue-collar occupations, the study says. The largest bump is expected to happen in construction and extraction jobs — due largely to federal infrastructure investment — adding some 893,000 new good jobs between 2021 and 2031.
The second largest increase for the middle-skills pathway — netting 291,000 new good jobs — will be in computer and mathematical science occupations, the study says. This is due, in part, to growing opportunities for workers with certificates and certifications in the technology field, according to the study, noting as an example Google’s certificate offerings for in-demand jobs for workers without college degrees.
