Pathways for Success

Yesterday, I attended a conference at South Seattle Community College about Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.  Success for All Students: Exploring Career and Technical Educational Opportunities brought together business, industry, teachers, principals, higher education officials, and policy makers in an effort to explore ways to help youth transition to adulthood with a full range of positive career choices after high school.

This conference was timed perfectly with recent media coverage of CTE programs and the growing demand in the workforce for skilled laborers (see article in the P-I and the Columbian).  The articles show that there is a real need for skilled laborers in the workforce and that these jobs pay good wages.  So why the low interest and low enrollment numbers?

The conversation at the conference that resonated with me the most acknowledged that there is real stigma surrounding many, if not most, of the CTE pathways.  The current discourse in the education world is that kids should have options after high school that enable them to be successful in life-earning a family wage and contributing positively to their community.  We all know that there are multiple pathways to success, but do we really believe that all of these paths are equal? 

Parents, students, teachers, advocates and policymakers alike don't necessarily believe that success can be attained without a diploma from a college or university.  "Those programs are good and fine for some kids, but it's not for me or my kid," is what principals and counselors said they hear all the time.  There seems to be a very real sense that somehow completing a certificate or apprenticeship program is simply not as good as earning a college degree. 

Changing this attitude is the first step in making CTE programs successful and meaningful to students.  The consensus in the room yesterday was that increasing awareness of all the different programs and showing kids the wide range of jobs these programs prepare them for is the best way forward.