SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE ON TRADES NOT A FALLBACK… A FUTURE
BY TIPHANI CHAPLIN
START WITH THE TRUTH For many families, “college after high school” still gets treated as the only valid path. It isn’t. Trades and technical careers are not a fallback; they can be a future. In a lot of cases students can do both. They can stack certifications alongside college, build skills, earn money, and keep every option open. WHAT WE’RE HEARING FROM CPS CTE This summer we spoke with members of CPS’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) team. The takeaway is encouraging. CPS has a strong foundation. But the challenge remains: not every school has the resources or partners to run CTE with full fidelity, and in some neighborhoods trades still get talked about like second-class options. When local opportunities are stripped away, families stop seeing trades as a path to independence. That perception gap costs students. HOW WE GOT HERE Many of the trade schools that once bridged students directly into careers were closed or hollowed out. Where students used to finish with credentials or land in union apprenticeships, too many programs drifted toward “exposure” without an on-ramp. Leaders saw that and stopped selling what they couldn’t deliver. Completely fair. Skepticism grew.
WHAT CHANGES THE STORY Evidence. Families deserve receipts… credentials earned, internships placed, apprenticeships offered, wages after two years, alumni stories after five. If we show outcomes and back them with partners who actually hire, the narrative shifts. If we don’t, “college only” keeps winning by default. Gerald Morrow, former principal at Dunbar Vocational: “I believe in college and/or trade for students. If you can graduate with recognized skills, that just means more opportunities. Why wouldn’t we want that? We reach more students not by lowering expectations, but by expanding what possibility looks like.” THE WORK WE RELY ON… EVERY DAY If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s how much we depend on skilled work. HVAC that keeps buildings safe. Electrical systems that actually function. Aviation, auto, building trades, barbering and cosmetology, allied health. These aren’t skills you pick up on YouTube overnight… and no, AI can’t wire a panel or fix a chiller. People do that work. People in our neighborhoods. Trades are jobs we need in Chicago. They don’t get outsourced to machines. And the pay can be solid. Aircraft maintenance, for example, can rival a mid-level business salary. But as educators, we know the goal isn’t money alone. It’s dignity… students feeling capable, confident, and whole.
28 • CPAA MAGAZINE | OCT 2025
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