Weak Economy Helps Trade Schools

PALM DESERT – After months of economic troubles, there is at least one business benefiting from the weak economy: trade schools. Enrollment is through the roof at one local trade school and there is no sign of slowing down.

“We are really bursting at the seams here,” says Peter Conrad, Santa Barbra Business College Dean of Students.

The tough times have a reverse effect on trade schools. At Santa Barbara Business College, business is booming.

“We just keep getting bigger and bigger,” says Conrad. “People started coming to the school because they were running into trouble at work or getting laid off.”

Santiago Rodarte lost his bartending job last year, so he enrolled in SBBC’s business program, using unemployment to his advantage.

“It’s giving me more time to study and more ‘me time,'” says Rodarte.

In the past six months enrollment at the college has doubled. SBBC offers everything from criminal justice, medical studies, and massage therapy. Adults are signing up fast and classes are filling up.

“We are looking to provide them with the skills and help them grow and get a job right away,” says Conrad.

The education doesn’t stop at the classroom. In the career center, students learn resume writing and interview skills. Rodarte is preparing for his first interview intwo years, and he’s sure what he has learned will pay off.

“I feel good. I’m confident,” says Rodarte. “The skills I learned here are the skills needed in the real world.”

For more information on SBBC’s classes, schedules and financial aid, go to www.sbbcollege.edu.