Giving Compass' Take:
- Jonathan Arnholz discusses how prioritizing training in fields with job opportunities and security like construction could be key to increasing college enrollment.
- How can community colleges in particular adapt well to this demand for construction training and other education-to-workforce pathways?
- Read more about education-to-workforce pathways.
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Increasing enrollment has always been a key metric of success for colleges – but due to various factors, enrollment rates have been in the red in recent years.
However, one of the few educational areas that has bucked this downward trend in enrollment is construction.
The construction trades have been among the top majors in enrollment growth at community colleges, outpacing both overall enrollment numbers as well as many other popular areas of study. In 2022, community colleges faced an average 8.2% decline in enrollment across all majors. But by comparison, enrollment in Construction Trades programs grew by 13.5% from the previous year – ranking second among all fields in growth. In 2023, construction continues to see an above-average rate of enrollment.
Construction has established itself as a valuable and increasingly important education category for community colleges. But what are some of the reasons that the building trades have seen immense growth in enrollment while other majors have stagnated or declined? Here are a few of the factors playing a role in this trend.
Careers in construction have often been an afterthought in comparison to more popular career paths. As a result, fewer people have entered the industry. Experienced construction craft professionals are also now reaching retirement age – with not nearly enough new entrants to replace them.
This disparity has created massive demand, with a current shortage of more than half a million trades professionals.
Read the full article about construction training by Jonathan Arnholz at Higher Ed Dive.