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Vermont needs more tradespeople. Is Gen Z the solution?

Programs for careers like welding, construction, and automotive tech are in hot demand. The Central Vermont Career Center, a career technical school in Barre, has more applicants than they have space to admit. A recent report by Vermont Public found that enrollment is up statewide at most of Vermont’s 17 career and technical education centers. It’s a national trend, and it’s earned Gen Z the nickname “The Toolbelt Generation.”

We talk with CVCC's director Jody Emerson and Nick Cantrick, a construction technology instructor at the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury, about their students' career opportunities.

We also discuss current labor needs in Vermont with Richard Wobby, Executive Vice President at the Associated General Contractors of Vermont, and Kendal Smith, Deputy Commissioner at the Vermont Department of Labor.

Broadcast live on Monday, April 7, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Jon has spent his entire adult life working in broadcast journalism. He began his career in Baltimore at WYPR, and has since been a producer for WHYY, Vox, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, and The Talkhouse. Jon is a lifelong recording artist whose projects include Repelican, The Art Department, and Dungeonesse. He lives with his wife in Panton, Vermont.