The Pennsylvania House of Representatives recently adopted a resolution that designates February 2019 as Career and Technical Education Month in Pennsylvania.
The resolution, House Resolution 88, was authored by Rep. Curt Sonney (R-Erie) and Rep. James Roebuck (D-Philadelphia).
“Currently in Pennsylvania, potential employees do not have the educational background to fill the thousands of high-skill, great paying vacant jobs of today’s economy,” Sonney said. “That’s why it is important to ensure that our young students who are preparing to enter the workforce are aware of the many opportunities available to them. A four-year college degree is an option, but it is not the only option. Career and technical training for specific occupations can be immensely rewarding in both job satisfaction and financial earnings.”
Sonney, who chairs the House Education Committee, recently unveiled a bipartisan package of eight bills that aim to improve career and technical education in Pennsylvania.
The bills are designed to increase awareness of job training and career opportunities, improve the partnership between businesses and workforce development boards and make it easier for students to plan their future.
“Pennsylvania has outstanding career and technical education programs throughout the Commonwealth,” Sonney said. “We need to continue to raise awareness of these programs and confront the misperceptions surrounding a technical education. Both competency-based and academic-based education are needed to fulfill important jobs, and both provide family-sustaining wages and enhance our Commonwealth’s economy.”