AI is changing the workforce. Skilled trades are seeing a boost as a result.

As artificial intelligence continues to change the way we work, it's also boosting job opportunities in some industries.

Skilled trade jobs are in demand now more than ever, leading some to swap college for tool belts.

For decades, many high school graduates strived for a four-year degree before entering the job market. Experts said that mindset is changing.

"I just actually was dealing with a student that was going to go to a four-year institution. [He] decided that he was going to come here instead and go into the trades," said Jennifer Cowans, the executive director at CCAC West Hills Center.

She said the demand for trade jobs is on the rise, thanks, in part, to AI.

"You cannot replace the hands-on work that is happening within the trades positions. You're not going to be able to have a computer repair your brake systems on your cars, so the hands-on [positions] are always going to be there," Cowans said.

As data centers pop up across the region, she said the need for skilled trade jobs is surging.

"When you have data centers, you have to have the electrical. You have to make sure that the HVAC units are working. Most data centers have a redundant HVAC unit, so they're taking one, and they're working the other. They have to turn those on and off, usually on a regular basis. But you have to have technicians to be able to do that," Cowans said.

She said enrollment at CCAC is up 16% from last year, resulting in major expansions on campus.

"CCAC actually houses the very first electric vehicle apprenticeship program in the entire country," Cowans said.

Expansions are also happening at Rosedale Tech.

"We're really excited to help with our region's economy. We're in our second consecutive year of record enrollment, and so we're kind of busting at the seams," Dennis Wilke said, the president at Rosedale Technical College.

He said they've seen a 15% enrollment increase this year, leading to a 3,000-square-foot expansion to one of their training labs.  

"As instructors are teaching, we have cars on lifts. We have students in teardown labs," Kara Khan said, the executive vice president at Rosedale. "Now that we can put our lifts beside our teardown area, it helps us be a little more responsive to our students."

Khan said their goal is to expand space for carpentry and electrical students, along with their HVAC program.

Wilke said they're training for the future.

"We're incorporating AI into what we do in the trades. It's going to be another tool in the toolbox for our technicians, but you can't replace the person doing the work," Wilke said.

He said the path to success is quicker than a typical four-year degree.

"I think the important thing is that the way we do our education is so focused. The students are only here for about 16 months to get a two-year degree; the median debt of our graduates is only $12,000," Wilke said.

"In a lot of cases, we are seeing that skilled trade students are making more money than some of those four-year college degrees that are coming out," Cowans said.

Cowans said that is, in part, due to increased demand in the field along with the number of workers currently retiring.

According to the American Welding Society, for every five skilled tradespeople who retire, only two are entering the workforce, putting jobs and pay at a premium.

"One of the companies that came in and did a presentation actually picked me up two weeks ago, Mr. Sparky Pittsburgh West," Nathan Collura said, a student at Rosedale. "I was able to get in with them over the summer break and get some hands-on, actually see how it looks in the field. It's been awesome so far, and I would have probably never had that opportunity if it wasn't for Rosedale."

Students currently learning the trades said they're confident in their future.

"With AI emerging, it seems like it's inevitable, right? It's not going anywhere, and more jobs are becoming automated, especially with, like, computer science, which my generation — I'm 30 years old — so a lot of us were encouraged to go into computer science. Those jobs no longer exist. This working with your hands; nobody can take these skills away from you. It's something you have for life," Shane Mullin said, a student at Rosedale.

Both CCAC and Rosedale offer several scholarship opportunities for students coming in to help make programs and classes more affordable.

"Eighty-nine percent of our students graduate debt-free. With some financial aid, some scholarships, different things like that, they're able to get out totally debt-free," Cowans said.

"We've got a number of scholarships here within our four walls, and we've got a number of partners to help us with that," Wilke said. "And even better, a lot of our employers now recognize the need to compete for this top-level talent, so they're offering to pay the student loans for students when they go to work for them. So, it winds up being a completely sponsored education."