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Roger Williams says trade schools are 'booming' and urges clearer costs, workforce focus
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Summary
Rep. Roger Williams, chair of the Small Business Committee, told a radio interview that trade schools in Texas are expanding, citing a claimed 100,000 ninth-grade dropouts and a recent jobs report; he urged clearer cost comparisons with four-year colleges to reduce student debt and meet demand for skilled trades.
Rep. Roger Williams, chair of the Small Business Committee, said trade schools in Texas are expanding and offered them as an alternative to costly four‑year degrees.
"The trade schools offer an opportunity for [students] to get to school, get a degree, not have some bad student debt and to start a business," Williams said. He framed vocational education as a pathway to immediate employment in occupations including plumbing, welding, carpentry and auto repair.
Williams cited what he described as a sharp education and workforce challenge in Texas. "We've got a 100,000 kids a year dropping out of ninth grade in Texas," he said, arguing that trade programs can provide options for those students. He also pointed to recent labor-market numbers, saying "the big beautiful bill that we passed" was followed by a report showing "119,000 new jobs," which he presented as expanding opportunities for trade‑trained workers.
A program host noted college tuition increases while referencing a private university example: "your alma mater is now charging $66,000 a year," the host said. Williams used that point to argue students should consider trade pathways as an affordable alternative to some four‑year options.
Williams suggested broader institutional change, urging that traditional colleges and universities could offer trade degrees: "Why they shouldn't be offering degrees in trades," he said, naming institutions such as TCU, SMU and Baylor as examples where trade programs could expand.
He described legislative work intended to improve transparency for prospective trade‑school students, saying lawmakers are "passing legislation to make sure young men and women can see what it costs to go to trade school as opposed to maybe a state university from a debt standpoint." No statute or bill number was specified during the interview.
Williams framed his remarks with an economic example: while he was Secretary of State, Texas lost a plant near Corpus Christi to Michigan "because Michigan had more welders than Texas had," he said, using the anecdote to underline workforce shortages.
The interview was conversational and did not include a formal policy announcement, bill text or vote. Williams described ongoing committee work and policy goals but did not specify legislative language or a timeline for enactment.
The program concluded after a brief discussion of Williams's private car‑sales business and holiday well‑wishes between hosts and the congressman.
