Independent Joe Trillo Says RI Needs More Trade Schools

From The Office of Joe Trillo: Independent candidate for Rhode Island governor Joe Trillo feels Rhode Island has put too much emphasis on students getting a college degree. Today, he says, there is a greater need for additional trades people.

“What the current administration fails to understand is that free college tuition, isn’t helping students be succesful, rather it’s leading some students down the wrong road, and placing them where they may not necessarily reach their full potential. Not only does it devalue the degree, it hurts the other students who are attending the same school. That’s why Rhode Island needs to focus more on the trades and building trade schools,” said Trillo.

“According to recent data released by the Community College of Rhode Island, only 14.6% of the 1,577 first-time, full-time students who enrolled in the fall semester under Governor Raimondo’s RI Promise free tuition program, are expected to earn an associates degree within two years. Based on these statistics, the money our governor earmarked for this was wasted. Common sense would tell anyone that going to college for free, doesn’t mean you’re qualified to be there,” he said.

“With only 14.6% of students who enrolled under Governor Raimondo’s freebie program scheduled to graduate on time, the state is doing no favors for our students. Because she can’t, I will take the stance that college degrees today, do not carry the same weight they did years ago. When I’m governor, I plan to increase trade school opportunities for students in high schools, up to the first two years of college. By building more trade schools and having these schools teach some of the lost trades (such as being a cobbler, plumber, carpenter, electrician, electronic technician, mason, plasterer, tailor, seamstress, body shop mechanic, cabinet maker, HVAC (heating and air conditioning technician), wood refinisher, roofer, machinist, welder, fiberglass mold making and layup professional), and others, I will help put students on a path for a lifetime of success, rather than trying to figure out what job they can hold with a college degree.”

Trillo continued, “Many trades people can make as much money as some people with their master’s degree. A plumber today can make as much money as a lawyer. I think we should begin to encourage students who are not interested or stimulated in an academic environment, to seek opportunities in the trades.”

“While there are trade schools around the state, we still need more. I would begin by building two new schools. We should have enough schools, so that students who want to take 1 of 100 different trades, can go to the school that teaches that trade, from farming to auto mechanics.

Attached Photo: Credit Damir Sencar via Shutterstock