PENSACOLA — Santa Rosa County high schools’ graduation ceremonies are later this month, and many students are considering their future careers and the paths to achieve their dreams.
While many may consider enrolling into a four-year program at a college, a specialist with CareerSource Escarosa, a nonprofit organization that supports Escambia and Santa Rosa’s workforce needs, said a recent trend points in favor of trade or specialized training schools.
Such programs offer training and certification for Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning specialists, plumbers and electricians, among others.
Morgan Cole, a community outreach specialist for CareerSource, said the trend extends throughout Florida. Cole credited several factors, including increased demand for skilled laborers, the short time needed to earn certification, and higher wages and better job benefits.
“You can definitely put the dots together,” she said in reference to the current trend. Some examples include the expansion of trade programs, like welding at Pensacola State College.
Perry Henkes, a PSC welding instructor and master trainer, has said in past news report that there is a major need for welders, as many skilled welders have reached retirement age.
Ingalls Shipbuilding, a Louisiana company, is one of several businesses that regularly seek trained welders, Cole said.
The job can provide significant compensation and benefits. Henkes has said a welder could earn a six-figure salary with positions available across the globe.
In a 2015 article from National Public Radio, Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, said there is an opportunity for millennials — 18- to 34-year-olds — with baby boomers entering retirement. Carnevale said an average electrician annually can make $5,000 more than an average college graduate.
While many graduating seniors may have not settled on their dream career, they are looking to finding a full-time or part-time summer job, Cole said.
Among popular summertime fields of work is the hospitality industry, and seniors can learn about more options during an upcoming job fair.
A job fair is scheduled 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 15 at PSC’s Milton campus.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Trade schools trending over four-year schools, expert says