The high school-college-work path that most high school students imagine they must take has benefited college administrators the most, as they jack up tuition to pay extraordinary bureaucratic salaries.

But what if you could get job experience without putting up with four more years of general education classes you already took in high school? Welcome to the world of apprenticeships.

ANOTHER STEP TO BECOMING THE PARENT PARTY

New apprenticeships rose from just over 100,000 in 2010 to around 250,000 by 2019. With only a slight dip during the 2020 pandemic year, the number bounced right back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. At the same time, college enrollment was still seeing declines as people realized that paying tens of thousands of dollars for online classes was not a worthwhile bargain.

And, while apprenticeships were typically associated with the field of construction, the increasing popularity of them has bled into other fields as well. New apprenticeships in non-construction industries jumped from 25% of all apprenticeships in 1999 to 41% in 2019. These three- or four-year programs have further branched into banking, cybersecurity, and insurance, among other industries.

No tens of thousands in tuition or hundreds of dollars in textbooks needed. No 8 a.m. theater classes to fill an art requirement. Instead, young people can jump right into the industry they are interested in with a job waiting for them at the end. It won’t include the easy access to college football games that many students enjoy, but not everything is perfect.

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While the public and political debate about college tuition and student debt rages on, alternatives like apprenticeships remain an option that should be explored more. Anything that gets universities to humble themselves, recognize what their role should be, and lower tuition to compete with other real options would be welcome.

Maybe apprenticeships can even be offered to those armies of bureaucrats that universities employ if universities are ever forced to bring their costs within reason. It won’t come with fancy “associate vice president” titles, but perhaps some valuable work experience would be a welcome change of pace for them.