Trade School(Community College) vs Union Apprenticeship

I hear almost everyone say to go the union apprenticeship route and that trade schools are a waste of money. What about community colleges that offer trades? Not the likes of Pennco tech.

The problem is yes it sounds right to the union apprenticeship route BUT most of the popular trades are highly highly competitive to get into. For instance my father’s talks to a lot of trades where he works in Philly snd it’s often said when they open the books like 4,000 people apply and book fills in minutes.

I know for the most part that going to a trade community college doesn’t mean anything when trying to get into a union apprenticeship.

Wouldn’t it be a better route though to go to a trades community college and get a non union apprenticeship, work that job for sometime and then apply to a union trade?

TBH I consider someone either very lucky or very smart who has absolutely no experience getting into one of the popular trades(electrician, plumber, steam fitter, elevator, operators more to the list)

Would that experience help?