In Pennsylvania, career and technical education is in the spotlight. The Department of Labor and Industry has developed a listing of High Priority Occupations (HPO’s), and there is a push to use those HPO’s as the main basis for funding of programs at career centers. I’ve blogged about this here. I’ve since wrestled with this idea, and have researched the issue at length.
In searching archival records, I found the following quote from a brochure for the dedication ceremony of the North Center facility (which has since been closed). “The programs offered at the school are developmental, not terminal, providing maximum options for students to enter college, post secondary training or employment”…Robert D. Muzzi, Adm. Director. Utilizing this philosophy, the school incorporated programs that were both educational and job-skill related. Although the methodologies have changed and the career landscape has been transformed, the principles of career technical education on which the schools were built have not changed.
Many of the students who have since graduated from CTE programs have either utilized their specific program experience in careers directly related to the field, or they have used the experience as a springboard into non-related careers. The career market today requires that potential employees possess a varied set of skills, and breadth of experience counts as much as depth of experience. It is for this reason that I believe CTC programs need not necessarily be aligned directly with priority occupations. High Priority listings are generally short-term and localized in nature, and they fail to take into account the fact that the CTCLC is as much a “developmental” educational facility as it is a job-training facility. All programs in CTE schools prepare students for entry into the job market, but more importantly, they prepare students for a career market in which an adaptable skill-set is essential for success.
Back when career centers were changing their names from vocational technical schools to career technical centers, Dr. Peter Mensky, a very astute administrator, told me that the word “center” is misleading. “Centers teach job skills, but schools teach both job and life skills. Vocational Schools are not just training facilities; they are schools as well”.
Comments