Trade programs say more money needed to fix workforce shortage
By Christina Lengyel | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – With a labor shortage and suffering infrastructure across the state, little is in question about the need for career and technical education, or CTE, which helps students find their way toward skilled jobs in fields like healthcare and construction.
Yet, the flow of support from the legislature, while enthusiastic, hasn’t been enough for CTE schools to meet the demand for their programs.
Educational leaders met with the House Democratic policy committee at York Technical School to demonstrate the efficacy of their programs in meeting community needs and make a case for more resources.
“I called for this hearing to highlight our community workforce centers and explore their vital role,” said Rep. Carol Evans-Hill, D-York. “Investing in workforce development is an investment in people, and it’s clear based on the testimony we heard today, that supporting programs like these across the state will lead to economic resiliency for people and communities.”
She was joined by House Majority Policy Chairman Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, D-Eerie, who said, “While testifiers noted the recent increase in state funding, challenges remain that could threaten our gains in expanding our workforce pipeline if we don’t continue to support these critical workforce needs.”
Some of those who testified came from “second chance” schools, which offer programming to vulnerable populations, like students who have previously dropped out or those returning to the community following incarceration.
Through career education, students at Crispus Attucks in York, which serves seniors only aged 17-21, are offered an opportunity to shift their trajectories and receive both a diploma and a start along their career path. The charter school’s CEO, Jacquie Martino-Miller talked about the joy of seeing it “click” with a student who studied construction. His time at the school led directly to employment which he has maintained since graduation.
Dr. Scott Rogers, administrative director for York County Technical Schools said their program supports high school students to find careers, graduating with five technical certifications on average, but they don’t have nearly enough capacity to accept everyone that applies.
The school has a 99% graduation rate and tracks their students two and five years out from graduation. The results show that CTE students have one thing the commonwealth is desperately searching for – staying power. Seventy-six percent of their graduates were working full time, 72% of them living in York County.
Despite the state’s skilled labor shortage, legislators expressed concern for the potential AI and robotics have to take the place of graduating CTE students in the job market, something that has already begun in some industries. A billion dollar automated plant in Hershey will require just around 125 employees to operate.
“Recognizing that jobs will change. Those jobs will go away, being completely honest,” said “And how do we adapt and change to meet those different labor markets? We’ve seen that in manufacturing.”
She emphasized that by partnering with the community, businesses, and the legislature they’re able to stay on top of changes and pivot so that their students can be prepared.
