AS THE AVERAGE COST OF COLLEGE IN THE UNITED STATES SOARS, MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BEING DRAWN TO SKILLED TRADES.

IT'S PART OF A CAREER RE-THINK AMONG GEN Z, WHO'VE BEEN CALLED THE TOOLBELT GENERATION.

HERE'S SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT CHRISTOPHER BOOKER.

>> THERE ARE SEVEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF HARNESSES, SEE WILL HELP HIM DRESS OUT.

REPORTER: THE TASK IS SIMPLE ENOUGH, BUT ON A SECURITY HARNESS, AND CLIMB UP.

>> IDENTIFY THREE ITEMS YOU SEE UP THERE.

REPORTER: THIS EXERCISE PART OF AN INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

FOR STUDENTS IT IS A FIRST STEP TOWARD A CAREER IN SKILLED TRADES.

THE CERTIFICATE THEY GET FROM COMPLETING THE CLASS OPENS THE DOOR TO ANY TRADE THEY MAY BE INTERESTED IN.

>> YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE AND THIS PROGRAM IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WILL GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR.

THEY CAN BUILD UPON THIS AND GET INTO MORE SPECIFIC TRAINING.

PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, HVAC.

>> HOW DID YOU MAKE OUT AT THE CAREER FAIR?

>> THOMAS STEWART, A RETIRED STEAM FIGURE AND MEMBER OF THE LOCAL 21, HAS BEEN AN ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR SEVEN YEARS.

SINCE COVID HE SAID THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WALKING INTO HIS COURSES INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY.

THE RISE IS HAPPENING NATIONWIDE.

THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN VOCATIONAL FOCUSED COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAS RISEN BY NEARLY 16% SINCE 2020.

>> SOMEHOW WORD MUST HAVE GOTTEN OUT, AND I HAVE KNOWN THIS FOR YEARS, THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF SKILLEDMEN.

- - SKILLED TRADESMEN.

THEY ARE STARTING TO REALIZE THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE TO MAKE GOOD MONEY.

THEY CAN MAKE SIX FIGURES.

I'M TAKING IT NICE AND EASY.

REPORTER: THROUGH LOCAL 21 HE RECEIVES HEALTH CARE AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS.

IN ITS EFFORT TO KEEP ROSTERS FILLED, LOCAL 21 OFFERS APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS TO TRAIN YOUNG PEOPLE IN EVERYTHING TO DO WITH PIPES FROM PLUMBING TO SPANGLER'S.

>> WHEN THEY ARE AN APPRENTICE YOU GET TO A SCENARIO WHERE YOU WILL BE WORKING AND STUDYING.

>> EARN AS YOU LEARN.

WE LIKE TO SAY IT LIKE THAT BECAUSE YOU CAN WORK YOUR EIGHT HOUR SHIFT DURING THE DAY, AND USUALLY IT IS TWO, SOMETIMES THREE NIGHTS A WEEK YOU GO TO SCHOOL.

REPORTER: WHEN SOMEONE ENTERS THE APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM TODAY RECEIVED BENEFITS?

>> ABSOLUTELY, FROM THE START.

REPORTER: HEALTH CARE, PENSION?

>> YES.

REPORTER: THE STORIES VARY FROM STUDENT TO STUDENT.

SOME OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT COMING RIGHT FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

>> AFTER HIGH SCORE WENT TO COLLEGE AT PENN STATE, SPENT ABOUT TWO YEARS THERE STUDYING DATA SCIENCE AND ASTROPHYSICS.

BUT EVENTUALLY I DROPPED OUT DURING THE PANDEMIC.

REPORTER: AFTER TIME AT HOME CARSON FOUND AN ENTRY-LEVEL POSITION AS A MACHINIST.

>> ORIGINALLY THEY HAD ME DOING ODD JOBS AROUND THE SHOP, TRYING TO FIND WHAT MY ROLE WOULD BE AND EVENTUALLY GOT MOVED ONTO THIS MACHINE.

REPORTER: AN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING PROCESS, COMPUTER NUMERIC CONTROL ALLOWS A MACHINIST TO CREATE COMPLEX AND COMPLICATED PARTS.

HE SPENT THE LAST YEAR WITH WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE WORKING TO EARN A ROSTER OF CNC CERTIFICATIONS.

REPORTER: WHEN YOU WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS PURSUIT OF A TRADE AT ALL PART OF THE CONVERSATION?

>> NOT REALLY, NO.

IT WAS MOSTLY ABOUT WHAT FIELD OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING I WOULD BE IN.

DATA SCIENCE WAS CLOSE TO WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH THE PROGRAMMING, AND MAKING THINGS, BUT I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WITH MY HANDS.

SOMETHING THAT LEFT ME WITH A PHYSICAL THING.

REPORTER: WHILE HE CAME TO THE TRADES AFTER TWO YEARS IN COLLEGE, STEWART SAYS THE RENEWED INTEREST HAS MADE ITS WAY TO HIGH SCHOOL AS WELL.

>> IN OUR DEPARTMENT IT WAS A CONCERTED EFFORT.

REPORTER: SARAH HALL IS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AT A HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW YORK.

>> WE HAVE BEEN BRINGING IN LOCAL TRADESMEN, SHEET METAL WORKERS.

WE ARE TRYING TO BRING THEM IN SO WE AS ADULTS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRADES SO WE CAN BETTER INFORM OUR KIDS ON WHAT THEIR OPTIONS ARE.

REPORTER: HAS THE SCHOOL STARTED TO OFFER MORE BY WAY OF WHAT WOULD BE HISTORICALLY CALLED VOCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY CLASSES?

>> YES, WE WILL START DEMOLITION ON OUR 75 ACRES AND ARE BUILDING A CAREER TECHNICAL BUILDING.

REPORTER: SO YOU ARE REALLY ALL IN.

WHAT ABOUT THE CONVERSATION WITH PARENTS?

HAS THAT CHANGED?

>> PARENTS ARE OPEN BUT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO HAVE TOUGH CONVERSATIONS AND SAY, THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE PATH YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD WANT FOR YOUR CHILD, BUT THEY ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL NO MATTER WHAT, WE JUST NEED TO SUPPORT THEM.

I THINK PARENTS' PERSPECTIVE WILL CHANGE AS SOCIETY CHANGES.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS TO DEMYSTIFY THE TRADES.

REPORTER: IN 2023, HALL SAYS 11% OF WHITE PLAINS GRADUATES EITHER WENT TO THE MILITARY OR A TRADE.

LAST YEAR IT WAS 13%.

>> TOP-TIER COLLEGES ARE OVER $90,000 A YEAR.

SOCIETY SAYS YOU HAVE TO GO TO COLLEGE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO SAY, THAT IS NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE.

HAVING A COLLEGE DEGREE DOES HELP YOU FINANCIALLY, HOWEVER, MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL HAPPINESS.

REPORTER: WITH REPORTS THE U.S. CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ALONE WILL NEED TO ATTRACT OVER 450,000 TO MEET INDUSTRY DEMAND THIS YEAR, MANY IN GEN Z CAN FIND OUT OF HARRIS IS CORRECT.

FREE PBS NEWS WEEKEND, I'M CHRISTOPHER BOOKER.

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