YORK, Pa. — Technical schools in Central Pennsylvania say applications have gone up significantly over the last couple of years.
A report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center showed that in the spring of 2022, nationwide enrollment at two-year institutions in construction trades increased by 19.3%
“We absolutely have [seen] a significant increase. We have about 700 applications per year," said Joanne Custer with the Dauphin County Technical School.
“We’re seeing a huge upswing in all of our programs. Normally, we cover around 500 students here, this year we probably have over 600 students," said Glenn Meck with the Lebanon County Career and Technology Center.
Despite more students eager to learn trade work, many employers say hiring has been anything but easy.
“I used to advertise a position and get 20 or 30 applications of skilled and qualified people, and now I’m getting maybe two or three," said Jessica Craft, the director of human resources for James Craft & Son.
Craft believes the reason behind the shortage is due in part to people seeking higher education.
“People are focusing on a secondary education and often not realizing that the skill trades provide apprenticeship programs, which is the best way to learn a skill trade, as far as I’m concerned," said Craft.
The business is also part of the York Builders Association and their Workforce Now program, which connects students and the community with career opportunities in the construction trade.
“[They] get to do a lot of hands-on activities and learn what it means to be in the mechanical construction industry. [They] speak with our employees who have come up from apprenticeship programs who are now project managers, estimators, salespeople, and see how their careers have grown over the years," said Craft.
According to a 2021 report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 62% of contractors said they had a “high difficulty” finding skilled workers.
“You can make a very good sustainable living in those occupations, and for our economy, to continue to grow, we need to be able to fill those positions," said Meck.