Fifteen-year-old Charlene Prott doesn't look like your average mechanic but she just might be. She's already enjoyed a work experience opportunity at a local service station - "I loved it and I had a great time interacting with the public" - and she's thinking about signing up with the Secondary School Apprenticeship program.

Charlene's interest in mechanics started when she was ten years old and hanging out with an older cousin who was repairing a tractor. She was the first to notice the problem -- a blown head gasket.

Ever since then she has been thinking about being a mechanic.

"There are quite a few people who think it's kinda weird," she smiled, "but women should be given the chance to do whatever they want to do and getting your hands dirty isn't the end of the world. There's lots of soap and water around."

Although Charlene says there is a sixty five percent chance that she will seek out an apprenticeship to become a mechanic, she isn't totally committed to that future. Her second option at this point is to become a paramedic.

"I just love to help people," she continued, "so as long as I can help someone make a difference in their life, that's great."

Charlene is an exception to the rule among today's Grade 10 students. Most of them haven't yet thought much about their future and if you ask them what they plan to do after high school, the vast majority will tell you they are going to go to university.

I suspect they say that because it gets their parents off their back and a whole bunch of teachers too ... not to mention their peers. That old fashioned thinking that "smart kids go to university and the others do something else" is still hugely popular.

Eighty percent of today's parents want their children to graduate from university. They see a university education as the key to a successful future but sixty five percent of today's parents are going to be disappointed.

On average, year after year, across British Columbia, just fifteen percent of our graduating students go directly to university. Another seven, eight or nine percent will complete a degree later in life.

According to Human Resources Development Canada, only twenty three percent of today's jobs require a university education. For the remaining seventy seven percent, a university degree will be little or no help.

Sixty percent of new jobs being created today are in the trades and technology fields. These are jobs that require training offered in colleges, technical colleges, private post secondary institutes, on-line training, or through trades apprenticeships.

So what should parents be encouraging their kids to do when it comes to thinking about their future?

First, they should know that today's young people definitely need some form of post secondary education and that choice should probably be based on the student's natural skills and talents.

University might be the answer for many but for others a six-month certificate program from a college or private post secondary institute, a two-year diploma from a technical college, a trades apprenticeship or the military might be the answer -- apprenticeship and military training, by the way, are both free, in fact you earn while you learn.

Since the baby boomers will soon be retiring, the future is looking bright for all young people ... assuming they get some form of post secondary education ... and that's especially true for young people entering the trades. The average trades person today is getting very close to retirement and we simply haven't trained enough young people to replace them ... and if all this is news to you parents, you can thank Charlene for drawing it to your attention.