In our spotlight on Business Report tonight, swapping college for trade schools.

The next crop of New Jersey students are being exposed to the careers and opportunity that is available if they opt into the construction trades, attending an annual construction career day, where they learned about a growing number of industrial job openings.

But fewer people to fill them.

As Raven Santana reports, high school students are increasingly looking for alternatives to the four year degree route and the price tag that comes with it.

More than 2000 students from schools across the state got to get a taste of what it's like working in the construction field.

You know, college isn't for everybody.

So you don't like college.

I say you always got to have a plan B and this is my plan.

B, this construction industry career day has been going on since 2001 and is hosted by the Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey.

The event organizers, there's actually eight event sponsors.

That's what makes this event free.

So there's no charge for anyone to come.

We provide snacks to the students that attend.

In addition to that, we are also able to offer scholarships to the schools.

We allow for the schools to participate in a raffle.

We typically select ten schools to receive $500 each for our raffle.

We also provide transportation assistance as well.

We don't want any school district to come across a hurdle that they can't get transportation.

So we'll also assist with that.

More than 30 different exhibitors offered a number.

Of hands on experiences ranging.

From bricklaying to carpentry.

So we've got the mechanical trades in the pipe trades here.

It's all a lot of students interested in the track trades as well.

We've got bricklaying, carpentry, heavy highway laborers, building labors.

So we've got the plumbers here, the electricians here.

I mean, we have all the union construction trades that are and the operating engineers have a free simulator outside so that students can see what it's like to work in an operating engineer's position.

So, I mean, there's a lot of major trades here, but a lot of the smaller ones as well.

And we're just encouraging students to try everything out.

As far as looking for something, I think it's an opportunity as well as more knowledge as well.

You know, you have everything to gain here, nothing to lose.

And instructors who accompanied students agreed the career fair is a game changer for some students.

I'm just watching the students go around getting all the information.

They really enjoy it.

The day they leave here with, you know, a lot more knowledge on different jobs and everything that, you know, we just teach them carpentry, but they come here and they see the other trades and everything.

They really enjoy it.

For seven years, I've been organizing this trip for our students because some of the kids do go to college, but a majority don't.

And I want to push alternative careers hands on, whether it be welding, concrete, ironworkers, something other than academic, if you will.

And to me, it's very important that they make a lot of money and they're productive citizens in society.

I feel as though the high schools are pushing too much with the testing and the scores, and you're not focusing on what are these kids going to do when they graduate.

You're just not letting them loose.

You have to give them some type of guidance and appropriate career challenges, if you will.

According to recent data from the National Students Clearinghouse Research Center, the number of students enrolled in vocational focused community colleges increased 16% from 2022 to 2023.

We open up every October.

This year we had 1200 applications.

In 8 minutes.

We had to shut it down.

We kind of we're looking for like 600.

We wound up getting 1200.

We didn't turn anybody down.

They all got their applications in.

And, you know, the works out there.

It's just a process of getting these guys and girls tested, interviewed and sat on a list to be able to go to one of the locals.

I, I.

Want to build houses.

I kind of just like want to see like from the foundation up.

I definitely I might want to work for the union, like, in the future, but as of right now, I just want to, you know, get into it and start with like, what do I.

Want my houses to look like?

Event sponsors.

I spoke with agree that the sooner they can expose students to the benefit of working in the construction industry, the sooner they'll be able to meet the growing demand that is only expected to rise in the state.

For NJ Spotlight News on Raven Santana.