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Vocational education

By Staff | Aug 12, 2018

Everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and doctorate degrees, if they so choose.

However, it seems that college is not the correct route for everyone. If it were, the significance of individual academic achievements would be diminished.

A clear problem for some who attend college is the amount of debt they and/or their families can accrue. It is not at all uncommon for a student from a middle-class background to leave college with $100,000, or more, worth of debt to repay.

And that is before accounting for interest on said debt.

Do young people have any choice? If they want viable careers in 2018, don’t they have to go to college?

Perhaps, there is another option, one that just tends to get overlooked these days: career and technical education. Known in some circles as vocational education or trade school, these types of programs can offer young people a chance at a viable career for but a small fraction of what they might pay to complete a typical bachelor’s degree program.

At the Nashua Technology Center, which is available to students at either of the city’s public high schools, young people can receive training to work in various careers. Some available programs that can lead to immediate employment opportunities after high school are:

Automotive technology,

Construction,

Cosmetology,

Culinary arts, and

Machining.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the nation had more open jobs than job seekers in June. This is partially because many looking for employment do not have the training to match the available jobs.

Peggy Proko from Peters of Nashua said there is a shortage of automotive technicians in the field.

“Careers in the trades are needed,” she told our reporter. “With all the new technology, it’s not just about changing oil anymore. You have to have a lot of skills that weren’t required before.”

While we certainly appreciate the value of a college education, we do not believe college is meant for everyone. We hope more young people will take advantage of the fine career and technical programs available to them at their high schools.

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