Career and technical education (CTE) in Pennsylvania is in a state of change. Much of this change is being driven by the Department of Labor and Industry in an effort to stimulate growth and to focus dollars most effectively. CTE schools will be forced to re-focus their efforts toward programs that support high priority occupations. High priority occupations (HPOs) are determined by how well they meet 2 statistical requirements; a) job availability and b) ability to pay family sustaining wages. HPO data is collected at the state and county level, and the focus of the Department of Education will be toward funding, promoting and improving programs that will feed occupations which meet the HPO requirements.
This is significant, and will change the way career schools in Pennsylvania operate. CTE schools will be aimed at providing a more focused education for a changing world. They will also become better aligned with local job markets.
Yes, secondary career schools serve as a feeder to the labor force. They provide hands-on training and industry credentialing for entry into the workforce. But people tend to forget one important factor; CTE also provides a good basis for training and education beyond high school. Career schools even provide advance credit toward college or other training through articulation agreements with higher-learning institutions.
Career education will play an important role in a new economic climate. As I’ve talked about before, I don’t believe that our economy is working in a normal cycle, rather it is in a state of complete economic reset. There is no more business as usual, and career schools will be playing an important role in the new economy!
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