Career Technical Education (CTE) should be expanded and promoted to address the skills gap and to staff the American workforce, according to a new report.
The HR Policy Association, an organization representing the chief human resource officers of major employers, produced the report to lay out specific changes to ensure the competitiveness of the American workforce and fulfilling careers for job seekers.
The organization’s members recommend the following changes that can be addressed through CTE:
- Increase education, training and skill development for the 21st century workplace
- Provide students with greater understanding of career expectations
- Advance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skill attainment
- Increase collaboration among employers, educators and the government
The report states that “Americans are not being educated in sufficient numbers to meet the demands of today’s highly technical work processes and products.†Our country increasingly relies upon ever-changing technology, and workers need skills to develop, repair, and maintain it.
CTE provides a solution. Comprehensive CTE programs prepare students to be college and career ready and to effectively fill vacancies for skilled jobs.