Secondly, and more quietly, there’s a belief in higher education circles that high school counselors are less likely to steer students toward technical colleges, either because of the stigma or out of unfamiliarity with technical schools.

Another possibility is that technical colleges don’t do a good enough job marketing themselves.

If that’s the case, it’s especially problematic considering that nonprofit technical colleges such as Ranken are often in direct competition with for-profit schools such as ITT Technical Institute and others that spend huge money advertising on television.

Gary Hutchinson, an executive with the national Association for Career and Technical Education, said the stigma was real — and harmful.

“When we think of education, we think of the four core areas — math, science, English and social studies. We should be thinking of career and technical education as the fifth core area, but we don’t,” he said.

And an untold number of young people find themselves pursuing career paths that don’t suit their skills, Hutchinson said, because “it’s difficult for a lot of counselors to understand the value technical education provides for students.”