Hernandez: Career And Technical Education Is Valuable For All Students — Not Just The Ones Who Bypass College

Hernandez: Career and Technical Education Is Valuable for All Students — Not Just the Ones Who Bypass College

If life were compared to a board game called Chutes and Ladders, career and technical education has historically been seen as a chute, a path for students who, for various reasons, were not succeeding in traditional education.

However, in today’s economy, students from all academic backgrounds, even those with bachelor’s degrees, are struggling to find their place. Our schools and colleges are effective at categorizing students, but they fail to provide them with the necessary economic empowerment.

Career preparation is beneficial for all students, not just a select few. If we truly want to create better opportunities, we need to prioritize career preparation in our educational institutions.

A new rule emerges: a college degree alone is no longer sufficient.

According to a survey conducted by GradStaff, a national career-matchmaking firm, 70 percent of recent college graduates seeking entry-level jobs were either unemployed or working full-time in non-professional roles just to make ends meet.

Taking this data a step further, 43 percent of recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 are employed in jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree.

Despite what my suburban friends may say about their children always being fine, higher education expert Ryan Craig highlights the shortcomings of colleges and universities when it comes to providing students with the necessary training to transition from college to the workforce.

There are a few reasons for this.

Firstly, the job market is changing. Employers now desire specific skills, such as project management or Apache Hadoop, in addition to a high level of education. However, traditional four-year colleges struggle to adapt their curricula. If employers cannot find these skills, they tend to ask for more experience and education, creating a catch-22 for new graduates.

Secondly, students receive very little support in terms of career preparation. The ratio of students to college and university career counseling staff is staggering, with an average of 1,765 students per staff member. During a time when hiring processes are evolving rapidly, like the utilization of applicant tracking systems that use algorithms to screen resumes, this lack of guidance is detrimental.

Thirdly, significant barriers persist for first-generation college students who lack the resources to participate in unpaid internships or purchase professional attire. Internships are crucial for students to develop social networks and connections, which are vital for job seekers.

Even in 2017, minority job candidates still face discrimination. A recent study by Harvard researchers revealed that African-American applicants were 2.5 times more likely to secure interviews if they removed any indications of their race from their resumes.

It is time to acknowledge that a bachelor’s degree alone is inadequate in helping our most successful students, namely four-year college graduates, secure upwardly mobile jobs and achieve fulfilling lives. Yet, we haven’t even begun to address the majority of Americans who either dropped out of college with student debt or never pursued higher education at all.

Are we as a country lacking innovative ideas to create opportunities?

We have the ability and should redefine our education agenda around economic empowerment, ensuring that all students who aspire to a better life have multiple paths available to them.

Economic empowerment means assisting students in finding the best learning experiences both inside the classroom and in the workplace. There should not be a false dichotomy between proponents of college education for all students and advocates for career and technical education. Both sides need improvement, and we require a new generation of leaders who can bridge this divide.

For example, the Carmen Schools of Science & Technology, a network of public secondary schools in Milwaukee, offers career preparation programs to all students, regardless of their academic standing. Alongside regular high school classes, Carmen students have the opportunity to earn skills certifications and college credits from Milwaukee Area Technical College. They can participate in healthcare apprenticeships at the Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin hospital system or IT support apprenticeships at local companies. Even students who go on to attend four-year colleges can benefit from higher earnings while working part-time ($12 to $18 per hour, compared to minimum wage) and gain valuable professional experiences and connections. Early exposure to the workforce inspires and motivates students to consider higher positions in these fields, while also avoiding careers that may not seem as appealing upon closer examination.

The pathways to upwardly mobile careers will vary depending on the specific needs of students. Year Up is a non-profit organization that provides a one-year program for individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 who are not in school and live in poverty. They report that four months after completing the program, 85 percent of their students have secured professional jobs with an average salary of $36,000 per year or have enrolled in a post-secondary institution. However, their students face more than just the challenge of getting back into school and navigating the workplace. Many of them also deal with significant trauma and unstable home lives. In addition to offering college and career counseling, Year Up provides comprehensive support and mental health services to assist students in transitioning to a better life. While it may not fit the traditional definition of career and technical education (CTE) programs, it is undoubtedly focused on empowering individuals economically.

The shift towards economic empowerment involves guiding students towards productive paths that offer opportunities, while avoiding harmful paths that are stacked against them from the start. For instance, only 39.3 percent of community college students complete a degree (associate’s or bachelor’s) within six years, which are not favorable odds. However, are there certain programs within these institutions, such as a cybersecurity certification, that have higher completion rates and lead to careers with upward mobility? Furthermore, what steps can we take to make these productive paths more transparent for students? The good news is that we now have more data than ever before to identify productive paths within college and career options. The real question becomes whether institutions have the necessary determination to promote productive paths and eliminate harmful ones.

Instead of thinking about educational opportunities as dead-end paths, we should focus on creating new opportunities that empower all Americans. This can be achieved by establishing pathways that span from K-12 education to higher education and the workforce, all with the goal of promoting economic empowerment.

The potential to incorporate career preparation throughout K-12 education and higher education is prompting educators to explore new methods of schooling. One example is the High School of Health Sciences in Wales, Wisconsin, where students have the opportunity to participate in off-campus internships for two full weeks, knowing that their Advanced Placement classes are designed to accommodate this valuable experience.

In higher education, the U.S. Department of Education is assisting traditional colleges and universities in forming partnerships with non-traditional providers to enhance student preparation for future careers.

Forward-thinking cities are also investing in initiatives like TechHire, YouthForce NOLA, and CareerWise Colorado, which aim to help students seamlessly transition from classrooms to careers.

In a world where career preparation is essential for all students, we must explore additional practical approaches, like the ones mentioned, to connect young people with opportunities. It is crucial to invest both private and public funds into supporting the educators who are leading the way in this endeavor.