Credentialism Invades Skilled Trades

As Ivy League schools pledge large sums to vocational education (e.g., Brown’s $50 million; Harvard reportedly weighing $500 million), elite involvement could normalize new credentials in jobs long governed by apprenticeships. The shift risks turning blue‑collar entry into another paper‑gatekeeping domain, raising costs and barriers for practical skills. — If elite credential norms spread into trades, workforce pipelines, wages, and reindustrialization plans could be reshaped by gatekeeping rather than competence.