A study has found that many vocational and technical high schools in Massachusetts have long waiting lists for students seeking admission, at a time when well-paying jobs are going unfilled for lack of skilled labor.
The Northeastern University School of Law study found that at least 3,500 students couldn’t get into public vocational schools in the past two years. Almost half the state’s 66 vocational and technical high schools responded. Of those, 21 had waiting lists and 10 did not.
The longest waiting lists are in communities with high unemployment and large minority populations. Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School turned away more than 500 students. Putnam Vocational and Technical Academy in Springfield had a waiting list of more than 300.
