On the Path to the Middle Class
This is how career and technical education programs prepare young people for middle-class jobs.
By Randi Weingarten and Stanley Litow
In an era of skyrocketing college costs, ballooning student debt, and rampant youth unemployment rates (higher than at any time since World War II), two young graduates showcase the tremendous potential of high-quality public school career and technical education programs. They have achieved academically and moved directly into high-paying jobs.
Lily Mohamed earns $70,000 per year at Sikorsky Aircraft, and is close to earning an employer-paid college degree. Radcliffe Saddler earned both his high school diploma and a free associate degree in computer science from his "six-year" grade 9 to 14 program (which he completed in just four years), and works as a market research associate for IBM. Both are prepared for 21st century careers in programs closely aligned with industry needs.
Lily's school, Platt Technical High School in Milford, Connecticut, is part of a network of technical high schools preparing students for post-secondary education and the workforce. Radcliffe graduated from Brooklyn P-TECH, initially created by IBM in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the City University of New York. P-TECH schools map curricula and training with industry needs, provide mentors and paid internships, and place successful graduates (who receive free community college degrees) first in line for jobs at IBM and participating companies. Expanding across the U.S., 60 P-TECH schools spanning six states will be open by September 2016, preparing thousands of graduates for high-wage jobs.
Career and technical education, properly delivered, can provide a powerful link between school, college and career. It can motivate students through hands-on, project-based learning connected to interesting industries and careers. Nine out of 10 students in high-quality programs graduate from high school on time. Seven out of 10 enroll in post-secondary education. Our nation's challenge is to support and expand these juggernauts of opportunity to help many more students finish college and prepare for middle-class careers.
Reauthorizing the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, with some important changes, can make high-quality career and technical education programs more effective. Programs must connect to labor market information, high schools and colleges must work together more closely, Career and Technical Education Programs Provide Path to Middle-Class Jobs - US News: