Radio Commentaries
In recent times, a dangerous idea emerged that a purely academic education is the only road for all students.
This approach is harmful to some very talented young people, and it illustrates the kind of 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 who 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 and technical education. In partnership with others, we promote and strengthen career and technical programs.
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 for many young people.
