Q&A / 

Vocational Education a New Priority

These young adults will probably end up being true leaders in their fields. Never underestimate the power of desire. They *want* to be the best. That is why they have chosen a vocational education track. PHOTO CREDIT: SkillsUSA

Vocational Education | These young adults will probably end up being true leaders in their fields. Never underestimate the power of desire. They *want* to be the best. That is why they have chosen a vocational education track. PHOTO CREDIT: SkillsUSA

DEAR TIM: I was a teacher for 35 years and wonder why more residential construction workers are not formally educated. It seems we are failing our children by fostering a throw-away society. There is dignity in labor. It seems the houses I see built today are of lower and lower quality all of the time. What can be done, if anything, to energize vocational education? Therese A. New Hyde Park, NY

DEAR THERESE: You have hit upon a subject near and dear to my heart. I couldn't agree with you more about the declining level of quality in residential construction. There is a constant erosion of the quality standard in all aspects of residential construction. The terrifying thing is that for a long time the degradation of standard was slow, but for several reasons the rate seems to be accelerating.

Several years ago, I was very fortunate to become associated with vocational schools on a local basis in my own city and then on a national basis as a member of the national technical committee for an annual competition that picked the best 4-person teams of students who worked together to build a project. It was so refreshing to be surrounded by young people who wanted to learn, who wanted to build things the right way and who had an unquenchable thirst for the latest products, tools and construction techniques employed in the residential construction industry.

I agree with you 100 percent about dignity in labor. For the twenty-plus years I worked each day in the field, I was proud to be a master carpenter, licensed master plumber and a master roof cutter. I tried to constantly work smarter, not harder and took enormous pride in a job well done. Customers of mine knew they were getting work that in many instances would last a lifetime. More importantly, I discovered there are consumers who recognize high quality and they are willing to pay a premium for this type of work. But all too often, many workers out there don't seem to care, or they are motivated to cut corners so they can make more money.

I am by no means an expert in knowing exactly how to reverse the trend of lower quality and promote the awareness of vocational education. But I do know a couple of places we can start. We can begin by mimicking our neighbors in European countries. Students in Europe who decide on a job track that is not white collar are treated with as much respect as those people who decide to be managers and thinkers instead of one who works with their hands. It makes sense because all of those people who work in offices and other places need a roof over their head, a toilet that works and plenty of reliable power for all of the computers and printers they use during the course of a workday. What's more, these same people need all of these things and more when they go home at the end of the work day.

I firmly believe grade school educators in the USA can try on a regular basis to focus on the importance and need for all workers who build things for all of us. We need all sorts of people in this world to do all sorts of things. Any top-paid corporate chief executive officer who thinks for a moment he or she can run the company without skilled labor, better think again. Perhaps he or she should stay late one night at the office to see who cleans up, who changes light bulbs, who installs new faucets in the company facilities and who is responsible for making elevators go up and down.

Product manufacturers, in my opinion, need to step up to the chalkboard as well. It is crucial that their products be installed correctly. This happens when there is a well motivated and well educated work force. Some companies understand this and support vocational education, but there is room for hundreds - no thousands - of more companies.

Building product manufacturers can fund grants, make large donations, help build new schools and support those schools that are already producing our future craftspeople. These same manufacturers can also work with any number of unions in different parts of the nation that have apprenticeship programs that help introduce young people into the many different crafts in the building trades.

Anyone who wishes to help advance vocational education can start by looking for vocational schools within their own state. These centers for intense learning exist in all 50 states and many of the schools are affiliated with a fantastic non-profit organization called opens in a new windowSkillsUSA. I had the good fortune to work with people from this organization for four years.

SkillsUSA defines its mission as helping its members become world-class workers and responsible American citizens. They do this by helping guide local vocational schools with respect to what should be taught so that today's workers are prepared for tomorrow. SkillsUSA fosters inclusion among manufacturers and welcomes all who wish to help make Americas workers some of the best on the planet.

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