The state Senate this week approved bipartisan legislation that would revise language in the Public School Code.
If the bill becomes law, it will replace references to “vocational-technical schools” in the code with the phrase “career and technical schools.” The change is intended to remove the negative stereotypes associated with vocational-technical education and generate more interest in career and technical education programs.
The programs prepare students for high paying careers.
“What may be viewed as a simple name change opens up a world of opportunities to our students through removing a long-standing stigma and explicitly focusing on building skills that will last a lifetime,” Sen. Vince Hughes (D-Montgomery County), who cosponsored the bill, said. “This is a great step to ensure Pennsylvania is ready for the 21st-century workforce.”
Nearly a quarter of Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts offer career and technical education programs, and 84 schools offer comprehensive academic and technical education courses.
Healthcare and STEM fields are expected to be among the fast-growing occupations, according to a Georgetown University study, and approximately two-thirds of all jobs by 2020 will require postsecondary education.
The bill, cosponsored by Sen. Ryan P. Aument (R-Lancaster County), now moves to the House for consideration.