A June 2025 study by Gallup, Walton Family Foundation, and Jobs for the Future (JFF) revealed that many Generation Z high school students and their parents are unaware of the full range of options available after high school. Titled “Known Unknowns: Gen Z’s Limited Awareness of Non-College Pathways,” the study reveals a disconnect: students are not receiving timely, comprehensive guidance about options beyond a four-year college degree or going straight into the workforce.
While 90 percent of Gen Z respondents say they trust their parents for career and education advice, these conversations are often limited in scope, infrequent or come too late, according to the study. Parents and guardians understandably draw on their own experiences, which can unintentionally limit their children’s awareness of alternatives like apprenticeships, internships, certificate programs, and entrepreneurship.
Our public school system, another primary source of guidance, often reinforces the traditional college pathway. This is evident with just 15 percent of respondents saying they were well-informed about career pathways that do not require a college degree.
To be clear: college degrees are valuable, often essential pathways. But they are not the only path to success. We must help young people to explore their passions, their career interests and education pathways much earlier in their academic careers.
Within our BOCES region, we actively promote a full range of possibilities through our career and technical education (CTE) programs and Youth Apprenticeship Program, which provides CTE students entering their senior year with 200 hours of paid employment at local businesses.
This is important when nearly half of students in the Gallup report said they’re interested in paths that don’t involve a bachelor’s degree. We also offer two regional technical high schools that offer students the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree at no cost to their families. This summer, we launched new CTE summer camps at our technical schools in Hudson and Troy.
The Gallup study also found that the most helpful experiences for career planning—internships, jobs, and in-person college visits—are often out of reach. Roughly half of respondents said they’ve never had a job or internship. More than a third have never visited a college campus. Despite access to more online resources than ever before, Gen Z students still trust people—not websites, social media, or podcasts—as their primary sources of career guidance.
This data should be a wake-up call, especially at a time when the cost of attending college is high, student interest in trades is rising, and artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the workplace. Moreover, a 2023 estimate by JFF found that 56 percent of American workers are not working in a quality role, which they defined as fair pay, benefits, stable employment, positive workplace culture and safety, and opportunities for growth and development. If we continue steering students toward just one definition of success, we’re limiting their workforce and economic futures.
In addition to the role of BOCES like Questar III, national groups have frameworks which support the increased awareness of options after graduation. In fact, AASA’s Public Education Promise is built on five key principles, three of which directly connect to the Gallup report’s findings. This includes:
· Principle 1: Prioritize Student-Centered Learning emphasizes education tailored to each student’s needs and strengths. That’s exactly what BOCES like Questar III offers. Whether students pursue fields ranging from aviation to welding, they gain hands-on experience in environments from industry professionals that make learning meaningful and personal.
· Principle 2: The New Basics—Real Skills for Real Life focuses on equipping students with practical skills for the workforce. BOCES delivers on this by offering industry certifications, workplace experience, and skills that students can use immediately upon graduation.
· Principle 4: Build Highly Engaged Family, Community, and Business Partnerships highlights the importance of collaboration. This summer, 29 high school seniors are working with local employers through our Youth Apprenticeship Program—real-world, paid experience that strengthens both students and communities.
Principle 3 is Attract, Hire, Retain and Reward the Best People, and Principle 5 is Measure What Matters, or adopt multiple measures aligned with local and state priorities, as well as current and future workforce and industry needs, expectations, and realities.
We are fortunate to work with hundreds of volunteers in business, labor, and higher education who advise us on coursework, equipment, and industry trends. We also partner with groups like the Northeast Construction Trades Workforce Coalition to promote the trades to elementary school students through hands-on activity.
For too long, we’ve treated a four-year college degree as the default—and in doing so, we’ve left too many students feeling unprepared for life after high school. We must do more to ensure every student, regardless of their background and chosen path, is equipped with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to thrive after graduation. It’s a promise we owe our children, and it’s a promise that the public school system, business, labor, higher education and others can fulfill together.
To read the full Gallup report, visit: https://tinyurl.com/GenZvoices.