Throughout our years of training, we've been told the best way to secure our students' (and economy's) future success is through a four-year degree, but recent studies seem to disagree. When compared to trade schools, a four-year college degree may not be the silver bullet we once thought. In fact, many reports are finding that in order to decrease the income gap more students will need to begin to enlist in professional trades like manufacturing.

But does this mean the end is near for four-year colleges? Well... We’re not sure we’d take it that far, but an education that focuses solely on a specific craft is definitely a feasible post-secondary option for students. And with tuition at some schools becoming an ever-diminishing return on investment, trade schools have certainly begun to look like a more attractive option for many current and prospective college students. So while we don't expect any big drops in university enrollment anytime soon, there's no better time than now to start preparing our students for all the options their futures hold.