Skills-based trades are paying off for many
Throughout my life, I have witnessed the value of career and technical education. When I was growing up, my dad ran an ironworking shop where my mother, my brothers and I worked. During a good year, he employed seven welders and ironworkers. During a lean year, he employed five.
As I watched them work, I learned to appreciate the tremendous craftsmanship and skill that went into ironworking. But at school, teachers and students often spoke about skills-based trades as if they were second-rate careers.
Years later, I took a year off from law school to work as a missionary in Honduras, where I was the principal of a school that taught kids to be welders and carpenters. As I taught the trade I learned in my dad's shop, I watched the students acquire skills and expertise that prepared them for in-demand jobs in a stable industry.
When I came to the Senate, I wanted to use my experience with career and technical education to be a voice for CTE on Capitol Hill. I partnered with Republican Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin to form the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus with the goal of promoting CTE through legislation and awareness. One of the barriers we have encountered is the perception that a vocational or technical education is inferior to traditional four-year college, even though that's often not the case. To counter that stigma, I like to point out that the power of CTE is already evident at schools across the country.
This summer I visited Louisa County High School in Mineral to get an update on the construction that has been in progress since an earthquake severely damaged the school in 2011.
During my visit, I sat in on an animal care class and heard from students who wanted to become veterinarians and veterinary technicians. I spoke with students in a turf maintenance class who were gaining hands-on experience maintaining the school's football field and earning college credit through a dual enrollment program. I visited classes in auto mechanics and computer science, and listened to students speak passionately about their coursework and what they want to do later in life.
At Louisa County High School--just like at the technical school in Honduras--students saw the practical applications of their classes and gained measurable, job-relevant skills. I saw this same real-world focus during a recent visit to Germanna Community College, where students benefit from a wide range of dual-enrollment options in CTE fields, many of them earning enough credits to receive an associate degree even before graduating from high school.
A DROPOUT DETERRENT
CTE programs are proven to help keep students more engaged in the classroom and less likely to drop out of high school. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that the average U.S. high school graduation rate is 80 percent, while the graduation rate for students in CTE concentrations is higher than 90 percent. Eighty-one percent of high school dropouts say real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in school.
We need to make changes that help keep students engaged in their futures and prepared for the jobs of the 21st century. It's up to all of us to eliminate any stigma against CTE and embrace career and technical education's ability to help students of all ages and walks of life become college- and career-ready.
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