James Winston, Assistant to the President for Workforce Development, addressed a public hearing of the New York State Committees on Commerce, Education, Economic Development, Labor and Small Business, on May 28 in Albany.
The hearing was designed to explore the extent to which our schools are currently preparing students to meet the rapidly changing demands of today's workplace. James addressed how Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in New York need to be overhauled. Citing such states as California and Maryland, James explained how CTE can and is being integrated into the high school curricula so that all high school students have the opportunity to receive both technical education and college preparation.
This strategy creates a true comprehensive high school, allowing students to gain real world experience via "project based" work, while obtaining the requisite academic preparation for acceptance into college.
James cited that many public schools still viewed CTE as traditional vocational education (Voc Ed) and thus track low-performing and academically-challenged students into programs that now require higher level math, scientific problemsolving and English reading comprehension skills. James shared that schools in benchmark states, including those in the Southern Regional Education Board, are graduating students with "industry credentials," such as those offered by CISCO. He suggested that with partnering and strategic planning, New York's BOCES and community college systems offer an existing infrastructure for implementing Advanced Technical Education Centers. These centers could serve regional needs.
Dianne E McConkey
College and Community Relations
06/03/2008 |