Have you noticed there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world these days? Are the worldwide tariffs on again or off again? Does the federal Department of Education still exist? If so, in what form and with what capacity does it operate?
The answers to these questions drive the decisions being made by educational institutions and industries across the country and around the world. Regardless of what is going on in Washington, DC, at the moment, there are still hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs that need to be filled.
Companies cannot fill those open positions without a robust supply of skilled workers. While some industries have taken on the challenge of training and upskilling workers, it’s also paramount for educational institutions—from high schools to colleges and universities—to pick up the slack and get busy training the next generation of skilled manufacturing talent.
With so much uncertainty swirling at the federal level, though, it’s likely that career and technical education (CTE) will need a major boost from the state and local level. Fortunately, it seems like many states are ready to give CTE the push it needs this year.
According to a K-12 Dive article by Briana Mendez-Padilla, the Education Commission of the States and the National Governors Association recently released a report that summarized its analysis of State of the State addresses from the nation’s governors.
According to the report, the nation’s governors have several important education policy priorities for the coming year, including “[c]areer and technical education, teacher workforce funding and student achievement.”
Specifically, “[t]hirty-three governors discussed career and technical education as an opportunity to prepare students for entering the workforce and bolster the economy,” making “workforce development opportunities for students…the top education policy trend this year.” These same governors also “discussed internships and apprenticeships as avenues to gain real-world skills that prepare young people for workforce demands.”
As states move forward with plans to boost CTE, however, they will have to grapple with ongoing uncertainty at the federal level. Mendez-Padilla notes that “the downsizing of the U.S. Department of Education is putting school districts at financial risk, according to Moody’s Ratings.”
Likewise, “[c]uts to the federal Education Department have also impacted the teacher workforce. On April 4, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to maintain a freeze on millions of dollars in federal teacher training grants.”
As states seek to invest in CTE in pursuit of workforce development, it will be critical that they invest their money wisely. Not all CTE programs are created equal, and not every investment in CTE produces the same return. Partnering with experts with experience setting up effective CTE programs that teach the knowledge and hands-on skills industry needs can help states make the most of their investments.
For more than 40 years, Amatrol has been working together with industry and educational institutions to design training programs featuring eLearning curriculum and hands-on experience with trainers equipped with industrial components workers will encounter on the job.
The experts at Amatrol know how rewarding careers in manufacturing and other skilled trades can be, and they’ve been dedicated for years to helping learners gain the knowledge and hands-on skills they need to secure satisfying jobs.
Amatrol’s training programs include cutting-edge technologies in a wide variety of areas, including electrical, electronics, automation, HVACR, process control, pneumatics, hydraulics, and more. Visit Amatrol online to learn more about its many different types of industrial training programs. For more information about how Amatrol can help you inspire and train the next generation of workers, contact an expert at Amatrol today!
