Workers Flock to Trade Schools and Teaching as 73% of Under-30s Expect Fewer AI Jobs
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 30
Workers Flock to Trade Schools and Teaching as 73% of Under-30s Expect Fewer AI Jobs
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 30
Summary
Teach for America enrollment rose 43% from 2022 to 2025, while some young workers and recent graduates are abandoning marketing, coding and other white-collar tracks for teaching, nursing and skilled trades.
A Stanford Digital Economy Lab analysis found 22- to 25-year-olds in the most AI-exposed jobs suffered a 19% bigger employment decline from November 2022 to June 2026 than peers in the least-exposed roles.
Trade programs are seeing similar demand: registered apprenticeships for people 24 and younger climbed 20% from 2022 to 2024, and Pittsburgh-based Rosedale Technical College said enrollment jumped 50% in two years.
The appeal is partly economic—electricians, HVAC installers and roofers are projected to grow at double or triple the average rate—though workers shifting into those jobs face physically demanding work and lower starting pay.
Policy support remains limited: universities are adding AI training, but Washington has only announced a $50 million general retraining program as broader AI-specific worker protections remain proposals.