Apprenticeships better than college for some

(CBS News) There are 1.7 million Americans graduating from college this spring, and not only do many have challenging job prospects, but two-thirds will leave school with debt.

CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reports that situation leads some to take a different path.

Alfred Santana, 18, grew up in South Boston's housing projects and couldn't afford college, but he has no regrets.

"I feel very good. I feel very good. I feel I have my career, a good career ahead of myself and I fell like I might have a good life," Santana said.

Santana is one of nearly 400,000 apprentices in trades throughout the United States. He works at a sheet metal shop outside Boston.

"Roughly when I get out of my apprenticeship time as a fifth year, I'll be making 50-, 60-grand," Santana said.

When he's done, Santana will only be 22, around the same age as a college graduate.

"It's also nice not to have student loans," Santana said.

Apprentices - like those at Boston's Sheet Metal Workers Union Local Seventeen training center - spend 200 hours in the classroom and 1,800 hours per year working for local companies. It takes five years. They get annual pay raises and the union pays for the training, so it doesn't cost them a penny.

Mike Burns used to work as a chef, but he switched careers to get more security for his family.

"You can make a great middle class living and provide for your family and have a nice house doing an apprenticeship program," Burns said.

Kevin Gill, who owns a sheet metal shop near Boston, said: "The apprentices are extremely important to us. They're the absolute future of our company."

Gill's sheet metal shop makes air and heat ducts. He employs 20 apprentices and 100 fully qualified workers.

"We closely evaluate our apprentices. We identify the future foremen that come from our apprenticeship program," Gill said.

Alfred Santana sees a rosy future ahead.

"I'd say about 30 years old, I'll be getting a car, a house and a bunch of other stuff," Santana said.

Santana expects to have no debt when he completes his training. The average college student graduates owing more than $25,000.

[WomenOnGuard]

The good thing is that most student loans are not required to be paid back, until you actually start to work...

[Grad1]

And they collect interest during that entire period of job searching.

[SM_Quinn]

They are required to be paid back when one earns a degree, not when they start working. They also start accruing interest as soon as you get your first cut of the loan. For the most part, loans only pay a portion of tuition, book fees, and any other financial obligations encountered at college, so all your doing in the long run is increasing what your going to be paying.

[nanamo]

I believe in apprenticeships. Born in UK my husbnd began his apprenticeship straight from school at around age 16...He worked in the Steelworks and went one day and one evening per week to college. He learned his skills on the job....Many yeas later, after working around the world, we ended up in Canada. The new steelworks were being commissioned on Lake Erie and they needed skilled workers...no apprenticeships here....so our guys ended up with apprentices who were in their 20's....University graduates...with student loans....That just doesn't seem right to me. I hope they go back to the 'old apprenticeships' or the sake of the young me and women leaving High Schools in the future....It makes much more sense.

[nanamo]

I believe in apprenticeships. Born in UK my husbnd began his apprenticeship straight from school at around age 16...He worked in the Steelworks and went one day and one evening per week to college. He learned his skills on the job....Many yeas later, after working around the world, we ended up in Canada. The new steelworks were being commissioned on Lake Erie and they needed skilled workers...no apprenticeships here....so our guys ended up with apprentices who were in their 20's....University graduates...with student loans....That just doesn't seem right to me. I hope they go back to the 'old apprenticeships' or the sake of the young me and women leaving High Schools in the future....It makes much more sense.

[sadiedog1]

i am a 57 year old retired electrician.i went threw the I.B.E.W. apprentice training program in the early 80's and this was the best thing that i ever did.it's a great program. people are not going to do without power and water . job security

[RichZubaty]

Bravo! This is how unions are built.

[retiredgustav]

I was on an apprentice program 40+ years ago. It was funded by the company, the union and Lyndon Johnson's great society program. I can truthfully say that it was that program that enabled me to live the American Dream

[rwsmith29456]

Another thing. Many big businesses have cut out their apprentice programs over the last 20 years and the effect was immediate and obviously negative, just like so many other things wrong with our businesses.

[rwsmith29456]

Skilled laborers can make all kinds of money. Specalties like Welding, plumbing. My wife taught special ed kids who learned trades and after school she says they are doing better than she ever did. And I don't mean you have to be 'disabled' mentally to take up a trade. It takes all kinds of workers to make a country/society run and if everyone was a medical doctor there wouldn't be enough work to go around.

[Jaylah54]

Most "classroom" time for apprenticeships takes place at a community college. Okay, if the union is paying your tuition, you don't end up with student loan debt.

But when Obama said every person in this country should be allowed to get "higher education", he wasn't just specifically talking about getting a 4-year university degree. He was including all other forms of education past 12th grade.

[KPeters_from_UK]

Jay,
That last one point needs to be emphasized. Many GOP supporters assume that Obama wants everyone to get a 4 Year Liberal Arts Degree (such a snob) but IT ISN'T TRUE. He recently spoke about the importance apprenticeships.