Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum created a controversy when he said President Barack Obama was a snob for wanting every high school student to attend college. Santorum came across as anti-education, crude and hypocritical.

But the issue of college and alternative paths to good jobs is important. Santorum should have said that a four-year degree might not be right for every student, and the alternatives such as community college or trade and technical schools should be considered by anyone not planning to go to college.

Technical training during or after high school is becoming critical if the United States is to remain economically competitive. Manufacturing jobs that required not much more than a strong back are mostly gone. Today’s manufacturing jobs often require computer skills and working with complicated specialized equipment.

Germany, which has a strong, manufacturing-based economy, tracks students early in their school years and directs some students toward university studies, but many others are put on a path toward technical schools.

In the United States, there is increasing appreciation for community colleges and the technical and trade schools. In today’s economy, it’s clear that a four-year college degree is not the ticket to a good job that it was decades ago.

In Butler, that thinking was behind development of an education support and mentoring program created by the United Way of Butler County’s Women United leadership group.

Sunday’s Butler Eagle article featured the program’s mock graduation in which 8th and 9th graders were given a diploma and the job they would have after they “graduated.”

The jobs included registered nurse, machinist, welder and bank teller, and along with a job title was a monthly salary, after taxes. With this information, the students were guided through development of a monthly budget for an apartment and other living expenses, plus a car loan.

While college degrees are necessary for some jobs, many other careers require training in vocational or technical schools. The Women United program looks like an excellent approach to getting students to think about their educational paths while still in middle school. And with the ongoing support of regular meetings and mentoring, the students have the support to keep them on a productive path.

Some students might pursue a college-track program; others might decide to enroll in the county vo-tech program in Butler. In some cases, the students might plan on enrolling at Butler County Community College after high school, or a technical school for training in electronics, welding, auto repair or HVAC work.

The Women United’s mock graduation program featured Butler County Judge Marilyn Horan as speaker and involved 35 students who are being encouraged to look ahead and think about what they will be dealing with after high school.

That’s an important message to send to young people today. And support and guidance from the Women United group makes the process less daunting, and even provides inspiration.

Helping the students to look over the horizon to a job and a monthly budget including rent, utilities, a car loan and other real-world expenses, the United Way group is providing a valuable service to the students and the community they will become part of after high school.

The Women United volunteers also provide valuable insights into different paths to a job that might include college, technical school or the vo-tech program in high school.

College is not for everyone, but even those not heading to college should be giving serious thought to the alternative routes to a life-sustaining job. In today’s world, a high school diploma is no longer enough.

Given the value of the United Way program, now in just its second year, there should be discussions about how to expand it, including possible partnerships.

Middle school students seem to be the appropriate age group for this sort of effort, and Women United deserves praise for its efforts — and broad support for expanding the program.