A good tool to help jump-start economy

Press Release

By Dr. Phil Berkenbile, State Director
Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
1500 W. Seventh Ave., Stillwater, OK 74074
e-mail: pberk@okcareertech.org

POINT OF VIEW CareerTech
BY PHIL BERKENBILE

During this time of economic uncertainty, one thing is sure. Career and technology education in Oklahoma stands ready to meet the challenges of the state’s work force and help our state’s businesses and industries thrive.

The mission of the CareerTech system is to prepare Oklahomans for success in the workplace, in education and in life. CareerTech helps young people and adults build skills for the work force of today and the future. These skills are essential for a vibrant work force and the economic prosperity necessary to compete in this global economy.

A recent report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Career and Technology Education (CTE) presents the business community with solutions for growing work force shortages. "CTE includes diverse sets of knowledge, skills and abilities that employers in many industries need to fill their fastest-growing jobs,” the report said. "In well-designed models of CTE - models that integrate rigorous academics with relevant, project-based learning drawn from the real world of work - students have lower dropout rates, higher test scores, higher graduation rates, higher postsecondary enrollment rates and higher earnings than students who do not enroll in CTE offerings.”

Dr. Phil Berkenbile

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects eight of the top 10 occupations with the largest job growth through 2014 will require an associate degree or vocational training. CTE provides the knowledge and skills to prepare students for these fast-growing jobs - information technology, nursing and allied health, environmental science and teaching. Students who take career and technology education courses are at lower risk of dropping out of high school, according to a 2005 National Research Center for Career and Technical Education report.

These statistics call for a strong career and technology education system to help students and adults prepare for 21st-century jobs.

Career and technology education provides support to help students transition from secondary to postsecondary education and from school to work. CTE students experience academically integrated coursework. Consequently, they are less likely to drop out of school and more likely to enter postsecondary education and employment with the skills they need to succeed.

The strategies employed by career and technolgy education - including programs of study, career clusters, career academies and early college enrollment options - help facilitate those transitions. CTE also helps adults get the knowledge and skills needed to enter the workplace for the first time or re-enter the work force with new, marketable skills.

The future of the work force and economy in Oklahoma and the nation depends on more than stimulus money from the federal government to jump-start growth. One way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make long-term investments that lead to new jobs, new industries and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. CareerTech will play a major role in overcoming this economic downturn by training new workers, providing training to upgrade skills, and helping with the development of new businesses. CareerTech is here to help you!

Berkenbile is director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.

CareerTech helps young people and adults build skills for the work force of today and the future. These skills are essential for a vibrant work force and the economic prosperity necessary to compete in this global economy.

Posted March 23, 2009