CBS Evening News this week shined a light on Career Technical Education (CTE), highlighting its role in training a skilled and competitive workforce, and helping to support the nation’s economy.

The news segment, Skilled Workforce in High Demand, segued from a story on President Obama’s jobs bill and noted a national report which indicated that 4.6 unemployed workers are competing for every job that is available. The connection made between the nation’s economic health and CTE, and a brief nod to NASDCTEc was certainly positive.

The report went further to explore Lehigh Valley CTE programs in Allentown, Pennsylvania and the range of job opportunities students are poised to secure. Lehigh Valley schools and colleges continue to receive attention for its CTE programs. In December 2009, President Obama visited Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), which shares a campus with Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (LCTI). The President’s stop to the joint campus that December placed CTE in the backdrop as he talked about economic recovery.

John McGlade, Air Products President and CEO, vouched for CTE as a resource that could help boost the nation’s economy. His company hires about 550 U.S. workers annually, but many of them can go unfilled for up to a year, he said. About 360 of those positions require 2 years of college, or advanced certification.

“Without the support and without the continued development of a skilled workforce, we aren’t going to be able to fill the jobs,” McGlade said.

McGlade has been a vocal advocate of CTE. He has spoken to the importance of CTE at a NASDCTEc Spring Meeting and has worked with other CTE organizations such as SkillsUSA to support CTE.

Erin Uy, Communications & Marketing Manager