For much too long, California has had blinders on when it comes to vocational education. Technical trade classes have been given short shrift in schools for decades, neglected nearly into extinction. Much of California’s economy may now depend on the production of ideas rather than physical commodities, but somewhere along the line our leaders in education and government seem to have forgotten that an economy of ideas can only function if there are skilled hands-on technicians to operate the tools bringing ideas into reality.

They also seem to have forgotten there is more than one kind of intelligence. Some high school students are bright but find college preparatory courses torture.

With training in high-demand trades that give them satisfaction, they could earn more money than many mid-level white-collar


workers.

California needs carpenters, electricians, other construction tradespeople, auto mechanics, computer technicians, dental hygienists, maintenance workers and machinists. In fact, California now has such a shortage of this kind of trained work force that employers are forced to raid each other’s staffs or import people from out of state.

We have been starving our state of the skilled technical workers we need. In addition to the ongoing need for traditional skilled labor, new types of vocations are emerging to provide support services for the creative businesses on which the state must rely to remain competitive in the 21st century.



Fortunately, a belated recognition has emerged in recent years that we are missing the boat when it comes to vocational education. And now, at last, California is actually doing something about it.

At the end of September, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill reserving $20 million from Proposition 98 education funds specifically for community college, high school and middle school classes in career technical education, which is the newest buzzword for vocational training.

The bill by state Sen. Jack Scott, a Los Angeles Democrat who was president of Pasadena Community College and taught junior college history for years, also pushes for better links between vocational education among community colleges, high schools and industry.



When the governor signed the bill with Scott at Pasadena Community College, he credited his high school vocational education in Austria as a lumberyard apprentice with starting to develop the sales skills he uses today.

Improving technical education is vital to maintaining California’s innovation economy. The governor and enlightened legislators and educators should build on this new momentum to ensure that vocational training remains an important sector in state schools.




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California needs vocational education
For much too long, California has had blinders on when it comes to vocational education. Technical trade classes have been given short shrift in schools for decades, neglected nearly into extinction. Much of California’s economy may now depend on the production of ideas rather than physical commodities, but somewhere along the line our leaders in education and government seem to have forgotten that an economy of ideas can only function if there are skilled hands-on technicians to operate the tools bringing ideas into reality.


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Original source of the story:
SFexaminer.com