New reporting shows growing willingness among Gen Z and parents to embrace blue‑collar and technical careers, fueling enrollment gains in vocation-focused community college programs and apprenticeships. Higher‑education workforce specialists pointed to rising tuition costs, student‑debt concerns, and strong wages in skilled trades as drivers behind a 16% increase in vocational community‑college enrollment and bigger interest in construction and maintenance programs. For colleges and workforce partners, the shift is prompting calls to expand apprenticeship programs, modernize trade curricula, and create clearer pathways from high school to industry certifications. Educators should also strengthen employer partnerships to ensure credential portability and align program capacity with regional labor-market demands.