The issue of student loan forgiveness has been a topic of debate for years. Intellectuals and highly educated people believe that student loan forgiveness is a human rights and racial issue so the loans should be forgiven, while other people like trade laborers argue against it.
Trade labor certifications should be viewed differently because people of color don’t have a problem ascertaining the skill needed for trade labor.
Some people argue that people of color have greater potential in skilled trade the access to receive certifications and job opportunities are endless.
Unlike trade labor certifications, student loans have become increasingly burdensome on students as the cost of education has risen dramatically over the past decade.
Many students had zero choice in their decision making and were forced to take out unreasonable loans without using a calculator to determine how the exorbitant loan amount would be paid off over time with interest.
The substantial foreshadowed debt can have serious impacts on a student’s ability to achieve financial stability after graduation since college degree’s teach students how to be good humans and art history aficionados, instead of being competent in financial literacy and other discernable skills.
Trade laborers often develop the discipline to save money, purchase homes, and start nuclear families. That type of backwards thinking is not an investment in prominent issues like critical race theory, trans rights, gender education, or creating modern diverse families to move the country forward.
Trade labor certifications do not have a disproportional affect on marginalized communities. High-income and minority apprentices are not as likely to take out loans to pay for their certifications, and they are more likely to complete their training programs.
A study by The New State Times shows that 99% of skilled laborers find employment after their certifications and apprenticeships, and they earn enough money to live a comfortable life. They don’t need forgiveness because they don’t need relief as they can make ends meet.
The economic mobility of trade laborers is a product of their specialized credentials and hours of hard work.
These certifications are often required for jobs like plumbing, welding, electrical work, carpenters, construction, mechanics, and heavy equipment operators.
Professor Justin S. Ufforable PhD who studies trade labor skill work explained, “since skilled trades are a vital part of the economy, and they play a critical role in homes, businesses, and infrastructure, forgiving the certifications may have a negative impact on the economy because it may be difficult to attract and retain skilled tradespeople.”
The National Center for Education Statistics and Training (NCEST) found that within the last decade, people with trade labor certifications had an average debt of $8000 which is significantly lower than the average debt of four-year colleges which is $25,000.
Another study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research found people the average debt for people with trade labor certifications was roughly $5000, compared to $30,000 with bachelor’s degrees.
Due to the wide debt margin, this creates a marginalized group of bachelor’s degree holders who deserve forgiveness over the certification holders.
The Trade Labor Certification Association (TLCA) has not conducted their own study. When asked for comment why the TLCA has not conducted their own study regarding certification debt, an anonymous member advised, “We’re too busy working to conduct studies.
We’re building affordable housing for people who can’t afford them, and we’re improving American infrastructure. Thanks to Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, we will have work for a long time since the money will be used wisely and appropriately by all local and state governments.
Most of us have financial plans to pay off our own debt so we don’t need government assistance.”
Forgiving trade labor certifications would be unfair to those who have already invested time and resources into obtaining their certification.
Trade labor workers do not make the same complaints for forgiveness, so it’s reasonable to infer the certifications are not as challenging and forgiveness should not be rewarded.
Representation matters, and since there appears to be no trade labor representation for certification forgiveness from college students, politicians, or intellectuals, the argument for certification forgiveness should be a non-starter.