As the price tag of a college degree soars, the perceived value by parents, students, and employers alike is decreasing. A 2024 essay in The Wall Street Journal found, “Nearly half of parents say they would prefer not to send their children to a four-year college after high school, even if there were no obstacles, financial or otherwise.” Additionally, the report noted that two-thirds of high school students believe “they will be just fine without a college degree.”
Furthermore, the findings of a November 2023 survey revealed that an astonishing 55% of U.S. companies eliminated bachelor’s degree requirements for employment eligibility. Instead, employers are valuing skills and experience over education.
Employers face growing challenges filling specialized jobs due to the misalignment between college coursework and the demands of today’s technologically driven labor markets. There is a rapidly growing need in high-demand and high-growth industries for employees who possess the necessary technical skills rather than a college degree. Yet the education pathways to these career fields are not keeping pace with the demand.
Aligning High School to Workforce Needs
It’s time for innovative change. The status quo American high school model, based on Horace Mann’s framework, is largely unchanged since its inception over 185 years ago and is ripe for redesign. Schooling during the ninth through 12th grades should be marked by not only high-quality academic instruction but also hands-on learning opportunities that develop skills for high-growth and high-demand career fields.
To prepare students for real-world success and to meet the evolving demands of today’s economy, high schools must be intentionally designed with industry-specific focuses that reflect national labor trends and the unique needs of their local communities and regions. Aligning education with high-growth sectors ensures that students graduate with relevant skills, employers gain a stronger talent pipeline, and regions become more competitive and economically resilient.
These new high schools could encompass well-established career and technical education fields in the trades, such as electrical work, plumbing, and construction management, which are resistant to automation and unlikely to be replaced by technology. Similarly, training for technical work in the medical field warrants consideration. In addition, industry-specific high schools should be designed to include high-demand, future-focused fields such as engineering, computer science and data analytics, medical technology, digital marketing, food production, energy, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence.
Equipping high school students with entrepreneurship and business skills is also essential, as much of today’s job growth is being driven by startups and small enterprises. Providing students access to unique hands-on learning experiences and industry-specific advanced training will increase engagement and motivation while also serving as an on-ramp to post-high school success.
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