As we continue to see college tuition reach record highs and student loans piling up on recent graduates many people are looking for higher education alternatives. Even with the high pricing of today’s Universities employers still struggle to find skilled workers and some are even paying for students to enroll in vocational-technical programs. These programs can typically be completed within a couple of months to a year and will provide participants with industry certifications as well as credits towards an associate's degree.
“All of our programs have great job prospects,” said Shawn Strong, president of State Technical College of Missouri, which is near the top of many national rankings of technical colleges and has a 99% job placement rate. “We get the most phone calls from employers for heavy equipment operators, design drafters, precision machining, diesel technicians, electricians, manufacturing (automation and controls) technicians, and biomedical engineering technicians.” Recent graduates were hired for a $54,000 job as a design drafter in St. Louis, a $50,000 job as a biomedical engineering technician in Columbia, Missouri, and manufacturing technicians (automation and controls grads) are being hired across the state of Missouri with a number of manufacturers at salaries that are $23 to $25 per hour or more, Strong said. The majority of the heavy equipment operators who complete a one-year certificate program are starting at $18 to $25 per hour.
Places like Columbus State Community College have built strong and diverse apprenticeship programs that offer a plethora of trade programs that also include construction, civil engineering, welding, landscaping, and architectural drafting. These programs could play a key part in building talent pools in local areas as well as helping to create alternate pathways to higher education.
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