MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Bay area technical schools are counting a huge increase in student enrollment this year.

In Manatee County particularly, more students are turning to trade schools rather than a four-year degree to avoid debt.

According to Tim Bekkering, who is the director of marketing events and public relations for Manatee Technical College, student enrollment has increased by almost 20% from 2021 to 2022.

Sparks and smoke are not the only things that caught Justin DiBenedetto's attention about welding.

“With this, I'm much more hands-on, I'm not really into computer stuff or anything like that,” he said.

He first knew he wanted to get into welding when he was 12 years old, watching the TV show Dirty Jobs.

“Playing with fire and molten metal seemed pretty cool to me; it's very easy to get a job as a welder,” he said.

It's a profession he says is always in demand, so he decided to enroll in the Manatee Technical College’s welding program.

“Truthfully if you become a welder there really is no reason why you shouldn’t have a job,” he said.

He chose to go to a trade school rather than a four-year college because he wanted to pursue his passion and not be tied to a desk all day.

“There are a lot of things I don't like a lot about four-year colleges — one is how much money you have to pay — two, there are a lot of degrees out there truthfully, I don’t really think they help out that much,” he said.

And now with inflation, he says he’s grateful he chose this path because he's able to save more money.

“A trade school for me is something that guarantees a job,” he said.

Bekkering says there has been a huge increase this year in enrollment compared to previous years. He says it's because more students want to avoid the costs of a four-year degree.

And he says inflation has played a big factor.

“There is definitely a need for a more hands-on labor-intensive industry. Going along with that with what we are seeing, students like the idea of being in and out in less than a year instead of students taking four years to figure out where they want to go.”

He says more than 90 percent of students have a full-time job after graduation.

For students like DiBenedetto, this line of work matters to him because he says he’s making a difference.

“In the grand scheme of things if I keep learning the way I am now and keep honing in my skills, who knows,” he said.

He's working with his hands to mold his own future.

Justin graduates on Nov. 15, carrying four new certifications in welding. He is hoping to seal a full-time job in the automotive industry.