Preparing for success
Dan Hegeman
Students today are facing one of the most demanding employment markets in history.
Employers across our state and our nation are demanding workers who are career-ready and have specific skills learned through a post-secondary or technical education program. Currently, this employer driven demand is far beyond what our current system is producing. At the forefront of meeting this demand are the career and technical education programs in our local high schools.
In order to meet the growing demand, employers and policy makers have been working to improve the flexibility and focus of career and technical education programs in order to better prepare students for career success.
To further support this effort, I’ve filed Senate Bill 1109 to allow school districts to utilize technical coursework and skills assessments that have been developed for industry-recognized certificates and credentials. T
he bill will allow schools the flexibility to quickly adapt to teach students the specific skills and knowledge that employers demand, most importantly in rapidly changing fields such as technology and healthcare.
Additionally, the Legislature has been working on Senate Bill 620. This legislation requires the state board of education and the Career and Technical Advisory Council to establish minimum requirements for a career and technical education certificate that a student can earn in addition to their high school diploma. This is again a response to the demand for students and a workforce that can prove it has the knowledge and a skill set that employers need.
For many students, and in a growing number of career fields, the traditional four-year college education may not be the best path forward.
In fact, recent history has shown that those with real-world applicable degrees or certifications are in high-demand, and we can provide those opportunities to students through supporting and adapting our career and technical education programs. The job market continues to evolve and we have to keep up with it.
Our educational system has to be fluid and learn to adapt to changing times.
What worked 10 years ago doesn’t necessarily work today. We need to recognize this fact, and continue supporting alternative paths through career and technical education.
These bills seek to open new doors for students; equip them with the skills they need to succeed; and create a vibrant, diversified workforce that will meet the growing demands for technicians in these fields.
