Medora Lee – USA TODAY – in the D&C on 3/27/23 on page A1
No one knows what the Supreme Court will decide on student debt cancellation, but for some people, it won’t matter. They’re already forging toward a future with little to no student debt to haggle over.
As an alternative to college, some people have gone through certificate programs – which can teach people the necessary skills for a job in less time and at a lower cost than a four-year college degree. Others have found organizations like nonprofit Merit America to learn skills, or companies like Multiverse to help them find apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are meant to teach people skills they need for work without incurring a mountain of debt.
Since 2013, the number of apprentices tracked by the Department of Labor has doubled to 437,083 last year. Meanwhile, nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8% from 2019 to 2022, with declines even after students returned to in-person classes, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.