By Maria Chappelle-Nadal
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Despite the different educational paths individuals may take, knowledge in any form is crucial to the economic future of our nation. However, for various reasons, not all high school graduates are able to continue their education, and, in today’s competitive market, a post-high school education is crucial to obtaining adequate employment. As a co-sponsor of HB1607, I want to inform you of the significant role vocational and technical schools play in Missouri.
HB1607 encourages the use of the A+ Schools Program, a program that currently allows those students who qualify to attend community colleges, and a limited number of vocational or technical schools. With the passing of this piece of legislation, high school graduates will have an opportunity to attend additional vocational and technical schools accredited by the North Central Association, better preparing young men and women to find jobs. However, students must meet the following criteria beforehand.
Although these institutions have been in existence for quite some time, they tend to be commonly overlooked within our educational system. Technical and vocational schools exist within the educational system because they provide students who may not be able to attend a 4-year institution the ability to learn skills and gain experience for the workplace. While technical schools teach mechanical and industrial arts as well as the applied sciences, vocational schools are secondary schools that teach the skilled trades, otherwise known as trade schools.
The U.S. Census Bureau data for the year 2000 projects a net increase of people without high school diplomas. This includes the already 18.7% of Missourians who have not attained a high school diploma or GED. An uneducated workforce cannot sustain the need created by the marketplace. This type of divergence between skill and the knowledge now required in the workplace can be counteracted with the support of technical and vocational schools.
Career and technical education programs which were once considered only for low-achieving, non-college-bound students are advancing rapidly. Most of these institutions provide employment opportunities in the fields of health care, criminal justice, business administration, and computer hardware. The degrees earned in such fields at technical and vocational schools have resulted in the half of total job growth seen between 1996 and 2006.
As the baby boomers near retirement, our youth must be able to meet the demand for skilled labor. Our economic growth depends on workers with a high level of knowledge and skill that can maintain productivity. To combat a labor force shortage, I feel the need to stress the importance of this type of education.
To survive in this economy, a person may not simply need educational credentials: an individual often must also possess a particular skill set or knowledge base. While employers tend to seek graduates from a 4-year institution, graduates from technical or vocational programs are often known to possess more of the qualities employers are for which employers are looking. Graduates of these programs are advanced in problem solving skills, more likely to take risks in the work place, and are typically more professionally focused. Since labor in this day and age is not about what to think but about how to think and learning "on-the-go", such schools complement this reality.
Only 21.6% of Missourians over the age of 25 have obtained a bachelors or graduate degree. By the use of these programs we can balance out this low rate. In 1991, 76,000 vocational and technical students in New York City were fully employed nearly 6-18 months after graduation. 13,000 Ohio vocational graduates have been shown to earn significantly more than those who have not attended these institutions, and this difference in earnings has only widened with time. With 11 million more students currently enrolled in vocational and technical schools, we can only expect the economy to improve by leaps and bounds.
With additions created by the A+ Schools Program such as tuition reimbursement, internship programs, and counseling and mentoring services, vocational and technical schools will be positively impacted. This impact will not only provide further education for our youth, but also strengthen our future economy. We must recognize the importance of these institutions and what they have to offer. Your support in HB1607 would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any further questions or thoughts on this issue or other concerns, please feel free to contact my office anytime. I look forward to hearing from you in the future. |
