With an increased number of jobs on the chopping block in a recessed economy, people like 32-year-old Rebekah Adams are attending career colleges or trade schools to gain a stronger sense of job security. The age of students who are applying and the number of students is changing in response to the changing economy.

“I work full time as a human resources manager,” Adams said. “Going through the program here will give me a better sense of job security and open new doors in my career.”

Adams is currently at Morrison University in Reno earning her Bachelor’s degree in business management. Out of high school, she began taking courses at the University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College, but said the courses she is taking at Morrison “are more applicable to what I do.”

“I understand the subject matter of the courses I take here because I live it every day,” Adams said. “It’s great for me to be able to complete my education and still maintain what I’m doing at work.”

Adams represents one of many new students at Morrison University who are seeking to make themselves more marketable.

“We’re finding more and more students coming to enroll because of the economy,” Morrison University president Heidi Nussbaum said. “There are more people looking to retrain so that they can keep up with new people entering the job market. We’ve noticed a definite upkick in interest in our program.”

Part of the appeal of this type of education is that institutions like Morrison provide students with job placement and assistance.

“In schools in the private post-secondary sector, they provide career assistance to both students and alum, which makes us an attractive option,” Nussbaum said.

The median age of students at Morrison is 35, but the number of students who have requested more information about the programs or have enrolled as a result of being laid off has increased.

“We’re noticing that more and more people are coming to us who have lost jobs or who have been downsized and are looking to learn a new trade,” Nussbaum said.

Nate Clark, president of the Career College of Northern Nevada, has noticed similar trends. In addition to increased rates of enrollment, the Career College has also seen lower drop-out rates.

“With recent budget cuts, some state institutions have limited enrollment, so a lot of people are going to private institutions,” Clark said. “In good economic times, people are more likely to stop the program because they can find a job before completing a program. Now, though, we’re seeing more people stay with a program from start to finish.”

“When employment rates are high, employers will be more willing to hire whoever they can find,” Clark said. “When employment rates are low, though, employers have the opportunity to look for the best possible candidate, and for many that’s someone with an education or training of sorts.”