The high cost of higher education, long believed to be the pathway to success for young Americans, is yielding ground to an older, more traditional form of education: apprenticeships. The country's numerous historical and economic developments drive this trend. The technological advances that emerged from World War II and in the years following—as well as the G.I. Bill's tuition benefits for returning veterans—rapidly increased public demand for college education.

World economies were left in disarray after the COVID-19 pandemic shocked supply chains and deeply affected the global workforce—and the U.S. was no exception. As financial rescue efforts fade into the background, the U.S. economy faces dual crises of stubbornly lingering inflation and persistent uncertainty about a looming downturn stemming from central banks' own prescription for combating inflation: higher interest rates. Companies spent 2022 pulling back on spending and new hires, moving forward cautiously.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows job openings are at some of their lowest levels nationally since April 2021. After hitting a low of about 8.9 million in July 2023, job openings rose in August to 9.6 million. That number was 10.2 million a year ago, and in August 2021, job openings reached nearly 11 million. As the number of jobs open for hire rose, employers continued to add jobs, upping employment by 187,000 in August.