One in Three Americans Recommend Trade School Over College for High School Grads

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A greater percentage of U.S. adults would recommend that graduating high school seniors attend a trade school than would recommend college, according to a new Workforce Monitor^® survey from the American Staffing Association conducted by The Harris Poll.

As the largest number of high school seniors in U.S. history prepares to graduate,

• 33% of U.S. adults would advise graduating high school seniors to attend a vocational or trade school
• 28% would encourage students to attend a four-year college or university
• 13% would advise them to enter the workforce
• 11% would tell students to enter an apprenticeship

The push for vocational and trade school career paths was highest among Baby Boomers (ages 61–79) at 41%, Gen X (ages 45–60) at 37%, and Millennials (ages 29–44) at 31%, compared to only 22% of Gen Z (ages 18–28). Gen Z was the only generation to recommend a four-year degree (36%) over attending a trade or vocational school (22%).

"The time has come to radically rethink how we're preparing America's future workforce," said Richard Wahlquist, chief executive officer at ASA. "Americans are clearly concerned that colleges and universities are failing to equip students with the workplace-relevant skills that employers need."  

"These results underscore the importance of educators, policy makers, and parents coming together now to develop, fund, and support programs designed to prepare young people for the jobs of today and the future world of work."

About the American Staffing Association
The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net.

Survey Method
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Staffing Association from April 21–23, 2025, among 2,093 adults ages 18 and older.  The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, contact Megan Sweeney at msweeney@americanstaffing.net.

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SOURCE American Staffing Association