Kaine’s CTE Opportunity Act worth passage

Career and technical education got a welcome boost this week when U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, R-Va., announced his effort to make federal funds available for students loans for adults seeking post-high school certificates.

Adult wanting to earn certificates at Valley Career and Technical Center in Fishersville and other schools often find the short-term classes cost-prohibitive, Kaine noted in press release about the well-named Career & Technical Education Opportunity Act.

We applaud this use of federal student loans, as it focuses on opportunity for those who want to move up and gain 21st century skills but find the door closed.

As we have opined before, our society undervalues career and technical ed. Not enough high school students take advantage of the free tuition offered to them at VCTC. For instance, only four local secondary students finished VCTC’s heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration program this year. Each graduated with three job offers in hand.

Sometimes into adulthood, students realize the value of HVAC or other technical certificates, but they must pay tuition. The CTE Opportunity Act is for them.

The community on the whole needs to re-emphasize career and technical education, recognizing it as a valid path.

With new high schools in the works, Staunton and Waynesboro have an important opportunity to recommit to career and technical education with equipment and classroom space, offering intro courses that funnel interested students to additional training at VCTC, Blue Ridge Community College or beyond.

The CTE Opportunity Act is worth U.S. Senate passage. We hope it becomes law.

Our View represents the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board, Roger Watson, president and publisher; David Fritz, executive editor; and Deona Landes Houff, community conversations editor