How to earn $80K after high school.

In May, the unemployment rate in Orlando was 3.6 percent, with vacancies for skilled people in professional services, construction and transportation. Does Central Florida have the talent to fill those jobs? To learn more about training opportunities in high school and beyond, the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board sought out Michael Armbruster, associate superintendent of career and technical education for Orange County Public Schools. For a complete transcript, go to OrlandoSentinel.com/Opinion.

Q: Does a stigma remain for vocational education versus a four-year college degree?

A: People will often say, “We still need plumbers.” The implication is that being a plumber is somehow a second-rate choice for those who can’t, or choose not to, go to college. In fact, plumbing is oftentimes a more lucrative career than many college-degree programs provide. There are those who use data to say that the average college graduate earns more money than the average noncollege graduate, but when you break it down and look deeper, you will find that skilled tradesmen like electricians and plumbers make, on average, $5,000 more than the average college graduate. A welding student at Orange Technical College may find that, after earning welding certifications, he can take on an $80,000-a-year job welding satellites, as two of our graduates did this past year. My college-educated wife, who has been teaching for 32 years, has not hit that salary mark yet, and will not before retiring in the next few years. Today’s high-quality career and technical education programs are not our granddaddy’s vocational programming and do not limit students in their career journeys in any way.

Q: How does career and technical education training affect the standard of living in Central Florida?

A: We wanted to know the answers, so this past year we hired a company to help us find out. One data point that stood out was this one: For every dollar spent, society gains $8.30 in added taxes and public-sector savings over the course of the students’ careers. That is a great return on investment for the student and for our community as a whole.

Q: What makes Central Florida’s job market so vibrant today?

A: We have a skills gap in our country, with between 5 million and 6 million good-paying job openings for skilled workers. Florida is no exception. I take calls almost daily from companies looking to hire our students, whether they are done with a program or not. Projects like the I-4 Ultimate are screaming for workers and are willing to pay well above minimum wage for those with any skills at all — even those who have not completed programs yet. With this high need to fill jobs, we have increased the number of short-term programs we are offering, working with local companies that are footing the bill, so that they can get people on the job as soon as possible, with entrylevel skills specific to their needs.

Q: Does the Trump administration’s apprentice program fit in with what you’re doing?

A: Apprenticeship programs are one of the best-kept secrets out there and an incredible pathway for so many. Just this past week we enrolled more than 200 students into the Florida Electrical Apprenticeship & Training Apprenticeship program. At the end of year four, they sit for their journeyman’s license and walk away making $40,000-plus a year with unlimited potential in lifetime earnings as they continue to grow and learn, with many earning their master’s license in the years following the coursework completion. These students have no debt and have been earning a living while learning a valuable trade.