Vocational Students Upbeat on Jobs

A survey of Los Angeles Trade-Technical College found that students headed for skilled trades are optimistic about their choices and earning power in an economy starved for qualified labor. They are also overwhelmingly minority, offering a glimpse at the demographic future of skilled trades.

The survey, sponsored by Miller Brewing Co. and conducted by the Los Angeles research firm Comm-Sciences, showed that 91% of 231 second-year students responding were nonwhite, with Latinos representing the largest group. Asians and African Americans followed. More than 11,000 students are enrolled at the community college south of downtown.

Fully 88% of respondents said they were confident about their future, and more than two-thirds said they believe they will get a job immediately after graduation. Nearly half said they had considered a regular college or university but thought they would be better prepared for a job in the real world by pursuing skilled trades.

While many trade jobs begin at minimum wage, experienced welders can earn as much as $26 an hour and sheet metal workers $30 an hour, said Linda Wong, program director of the Community Development Technologies Center.

Still, stereotypes of manufacturing as a grease-under-the-fingernails vocation have contributed to a skilled trade shortage. For example, there are 24,000 unfilled jobs nationwide in the tool-and-die industry that pay $45,000 a year, according to John Dahlgren, chairman of the Taskforce on Industrial and Technology Education in California.

While the survey found the skilled trades at L.A. Trade Tech attracted mostly minorities, it did not explore why. The reasons are likely varied, and correspond partly to the underrepresentation of minorities in two- and four-year colleges, as well as discriminatory practices of some high school counselors who steer minority students toward trades, Wong said. But the good news is that “there are good high-paying jobs in manufacturing,” she said. “It’s the best-kept secret.”

The survey was an attempt to gauge the motivations and attitudes of those who have chosen the vocational route, said Victor Franco, Miller Brewing’s manager of community relations. Eighty-seven percent viewed computers and technology as an integral part of their future.

“Minorities are finding great opportunities, stable jobs and great training at L.A. Trade Tech with the promise of some tremendous salaries,” said Franco. “We’re [even] seeing university graduates looking at trade schools as an alternative.”