State House advances technical careers legislation

On Monday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives advanced two bills supporting student awareness of technical careers as well as improving the education required of the technical workforce.

House Bills 2157 and 2158 are both part of a bipartisan legislative package that seeks to improve career and technical education opportunities and enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum.

“These bills are just the start of legislative efforts to improve [Career and Technical Education] (CTE) in Pennsylvania,” state Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), sponsor of House Bill 2157, said. “Our aim is to provide a reinvigorated emphasis on the importance of pursuing manufacturing jobs and other career paths available to 21st-century students.”

House Bill 2157 aims to establish a standard application form for public school institutions to make it easier for schools to create and renew vocational programs. The form would be available to school districts, state and regional charter schools, cyber charter schools, intermediate units or area vocational-technical schools.

The bill would also require the Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence and the state Department of Education to issue course guidelines to outline circumstances of when a student could apply for course credit toward the completion of a CTE program. The course guidelines would then be updated every five years.

“Not a week goes by when I don’t come across a news article about the need for skilled workers to fill cutting-edge manufacturing jobs in the Commonwealth and across the United States,” Grove said. “For far too long, manufacturing jobs have held a negative stigma in our society. However, these jobs are some of the most high-tech jobs out there and provide family-sustaining pay.”

Authored by state Rep. Zach Mako (R-Lehigh/Northampton), House Bill 2158 would direct the Pennsylvania Department of Education to annually develop materials for students outlining workforce needs, such as training opportunities and future earning potential. Additionally, the bill would require schools to provide at least one opportunity a year for students in 4th through 12th grades to receive age-appropriate career information.

“Employers of technical jobs have voiced difficulty in filling positions,” Mako said. “These are good-paying jobs that do not require a college degree. We need to do a better job of communicating these opportunities to students before they exit high school and embark on their careers.”

The legislative package now heads to the state Senate floor for further consideration.