Trade War? No Problem—If You Run a Trade School

In the past 15 years, hundreds of factories with thousands of new jobs have popped up along the Interstate 35 corridor in central Texas. Among them is a $17 billion plant under construction by Samsung Austin Semiconductor in Williamson County, north of the state capital. It won’t open until next year, but it’s already set off a mini building boom among potential suppliers and other South Korean companies that want to be nearby. Beyond proximity to the new plant, industrial companies are drawn to the region for its cheap land, light regulatory touch, lack of corporate income tax and—increasingly—a local population with the know-how to perform complicated manufacturing processes.

Many of the workers who join that plant (and others in the state) will likely have gone through the labs and classrooms at Texas State Technical College, a vocational school with its flagship campus in Waco, about halfway between Austin and Dallas. There, and at TSTC’s 10 other locations, students train for careers running the array of systems that power modern factories and other industrial facilities, often learning on the same equipment they’ll find on the job. They can earn a certificate in as few as two semesters and an associate degree in four; others already in the industry sign up for shorter programs to refine their skills midcareer.

The school consults with manufacturers, trade groups and economic development authorities across Texas to shape its curricula and make sure it’s teaching the skills employers want in their labor pool. For instance, after Covid-19 hastened the push toward automation, says Roger Snow, TSTC’s dean of manufacturing, the school has tried to better prepare students for that type of work. Manufacturers, he says, are increasingly looking to combine production lines to boost efficiency, monitor them to identify slowdowns and layer on artificial intelligence to predict maintenance needs. “We do teach some level of that, how sensors work and things like that, but we’re increasing,” Snow says. “We’re adding a new class this year that deals with the holistic element of how all of this communication works.”

TSTC is drawing more students studying how to install, program and operate robots and other sophisticated electronic equipment. But the centerpiece of the school’s manufacturing education is its industrial systems program, which it is revamping and rebranding as “industrial maintenance” starting this fall. “Manufacturing, whether you’re making a silicon wafer, cement or cosmetics for Mary Kay—the equipment they’re using to do that has always had a lot of commonalities,” says Donald Goforth, who teaches basic hydraulics, pneumatics and other systems in the program. “Anything that rotates or moves has a shaft and has bearings,” he says, and “no matter how much AI you put on the piece of equipment, somebody still has to go out there and actually turn the screwdriver or turn the wrench to make the repairs.” When these students graduate, Goforth says, they’ll be able to find jobs in “any industry that builds anything.”

Vocational schools have long held an important role in the US educational system, teaching the practical skills (automotive repair, health care) that keep the everyday economy running. As the cost of college climbs and more students question the value of a bachelor’s degree, trade schools are becoming increasingly popular. Public two-year schools with a major focus on career and technical education programs have seen a 19% bump in enrollment since 2020, data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show. President Donald Trump expressed support for vocational education in May, when he threatened to divert Harvard University’s billions in federal grant dollars to US trade schools. In a December survey by Data for Progress, a left-leaning think tank, 78% of likely US voters said they had a favorable opinion of trade or technical colleges, compared with only 48% who said the same about Ivy League institutions.

Enrolling more students in technical programs like TSTC’s will be crucial if the US wants to bring back manufacturing jobs and keep pace with its international rivals. In China, for instance, President Xi Jinping has urged more young people to forgo a college degree and instead attend a vocational school, in a bid to boost its pipeline of skilled laborers.

There are more than 400,000 open manufacturing industry jobs in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—more than the number of unfilled construction and information roles combined. If the Trump administration succeeds in its push to reshore manufacturing, in part by raising tariffs on overseas suppliers, the number of manufacturing positions would only grow.

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