Posted on 04/13/2006 10:32:13 PM PDT by FairOpinion
HIS other attributes and liabilities notwithstanding, Arnold Schwarzenegger deserves much credit for becoming the only recent California governor to value and promote vocational education — and his timing could not be any better. For years, a college-oriented educational and political elite — pandering to parents who universally consider their progeny to be budding doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers — has been consciously dismantling the state's once-exemplary system of job-oriented education.
Heaven only knows how many tens of thousands of California youngsters have been pushed out of high school without diplomas because adults sent the message that anyone without a college education was a loser
There is, it should be noted, no political advantage for Schwarzenegger to be an advocate of voc-ed, or "career and technical education" (CTE), as it is now termed to remove some of the stigma. Politically, it would be much better for Schwarzenegger to pander, as other politicians have done, to parental prejudices for college. He is doing it because he believes in it, pure and simple.
Schwarzenegger walked through Duncan's widely varying career-oriented classes, ranging from nursing to construction to auto mechanics. And he told reporters and others assembled in a nursing classroom that he wanted California to have an education system that deals with each child's talents and interests, not a one-size-fits-all approach, and "we will put the money where our mouth is."
The good news is that CTE advocates, with Schwarzenegger in the lead, are becoming more numerous, from voc-ed teachers to employers and, most recently, some major public benefit foundations such as the Irvine Foundation and the foundation established by Intel guru Andy Grove. There is even a CTE coalition in the Legislature now, devoted to carrying legislation to restore funds and prestige to vocational education.
(Excerpt) Read more at insidebayarea.com ...
Skilled workers can work for themselves, build a reputation and make anywhere from good to excellent living.
I love that he's doing this.
It makes good sense, and may nudge many toward a positive, productive future, unlike liberal arts grads I know who can't find a job or do anything specialized.
So this means your voc=ed kids get to compete for jobs with illegal aliens?
"It make good sense..."
Forty years ago that would have been true. Today, not so much.
Mine have, and are doing very well, with grit and determination.
Everything they have, they've earned themselves.
Vo-tech still IS a great idea.
Truth is, I just take for granted that EVERY job that CAN be sent off-shore, Will Be. 20 years from now it will be done -- maybe less.
But Some jobs cannot be out-sourced, and a lot of them are Vo-Tech jobs. Tell your kids to train in fields like these...
...Medical care {techs of all kinds, and a growth business field -- Think Baby Boomers}.
...Construction -- I know, illegals ARE moving into this field, but NOT at the tech level -- plumbing, electrical, inspection etc.
...Sales -- Not generally thought of as "tech", until you think about something other than Wal-mart sales -- Knowing the tech end, so as to be able to understand customers needs, makes for valuable sales people.
One more thing -- While learning a tech field, pick up Spanish too -- for all the same reasons.
VocEd should be part and parcel of California's secondary and post secondary educational systems.
California has been woeful in its neglect to prepare it's most common educational product, the secondary graduate, for immediate, productive employment. Instead, the state has relegated this training to convicted felons. A classic case of closing the door after the horses have left the barn.
Many graduates from technical universities, both private and public, achieved post graduate degrees and contributed to their chosen profession because of the basic skills they learned in secondary, VocEd classes. The two most sought after prizes in the race for admission to a top flight, public, California university, are both institutions founded on the belief that VocEd serves the needs of California industry. UCD and CPSLO.
I applaud the governor for his common sense born of his personal experiences.
Vo-tech jobs can be outsourced, and often are. Ask the former employees of GM and Ford.
When other countries build up their manufacturing base, the factory is built in the other country. The jobs are then vo-tech, and outsourced.
If you will look at the type of jobs (medical, construction) that 9999lakes commented on, you will note that they are not manufacturing jobs. Your GM/Ford example was even more off-target when considering them as career-tech jobs, at least as far as the line workers are concerned.
Try reading my post again. Construction jobs are created in India when a factory is built in India.
When because of that new factory in India, new factories are not needed in the US. When new factories are not built in the US, construction jobs in the US go away.
There. Construction jobs in India, and construction jobs not in the US. Outsourcing.
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