Radio Commentary
In recent times, a dangerous idea
emerged that a purely academic education is the only good road for all
students.
This approach it is harmful to some
very talented young people, and illustrates the one-size-fits-all thinking that
does not work.
Our schools must provide a strong
academic program to all, but we must remain aware that some students’ passions
and skills lie in technical areas and career paths that need support.
Our schools must serve those who
will be architects and those who will use their hands to turn blueprints into
structures of steel and stone. We must serve engineers who will design
ever-more-efficient and safer automobiles, and those who will build them and
repair them.
We must provide an excellent
education to those who will research agricultural production methods and those
who will do the planting and the reaping. Our homes must be well designed and
energy-efficient, and we will also need those to wire and plumb them well.
Though the future will hold high
tech jobs in fields we cannot yet imagine it will also support a service
industry for those who find dignity in working with their hands. We need their
skills, too.
My office has always been committed
to career education. We promote new programs and strengthen career and
technical programs, particularly through the highly successful Regional
Occupational Programs (ROP), which are the vehicles for delivering career and
technical education, in partnership with others.
These efforts bear fruit in many
ways, and provide job skills and training that can literally alter lives.
Career and technical education can be a lifeline.
