A lot of young people’s lives are full of voices that if they don’t go to college, they’ll end up sleeping on the streets. Garrett Morgan, who tried to go to college but finally gave up and began to be trained as a steelworker, said: “Everyone around me is crazy about going to college”. Seattle is full of construction cranes, but employers can't find skilled steelworkers. So, when Morgan received training at the work base, the boss paid the salary and provided benefits, including a pension. His hourly salary is $28.36 and his annual salary is more than $50000, and it will almost certainly increase steadily.
Many high school graduates are encouraged to go to college and get a bachelor's degree from an early age so that no one is interested in high-paying technical jobs with short training time and low training costs. This not only affects students but also poses a real threat to the economy. Parents want their children to succeed. They cling to a four-year bachelor's degree and don't see a shortage of skilled workers when their families need to hire plumbers and write checks.
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According to the American Association of Contractors, 70% of construction companies in the United States find it difficult to find workers who meet the requirements. The proportion in Washington state is 80%. The report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also shows that 33.3% of the new jobs will come from industries such as construction, health care, and personal care by 2022. Plumbers and electricians are also in short supply. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education predicts that, over the next five years, there will be 68% more jobs in infrastructure-related fields than workers receiving relevant training.
Brass Wayne Kramer, a deputy director of the Association for Higher Vocational and Technical Education, said, “The problem is that in many cases, going to college has become a choice to avoid employment”. When high school graduates go to college, they do not have a plan and do not consider their future career development, because the only thing they can think of in high school is to go to college. Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that people who receive technical education are more likely to find jobs than academic talents and are more likely to pursue their majors. However, the young people do not seem to receive the message. The proportion of high school students earning more than three credits in technical high school courses dropped to 20% from 25% in 1990.
Besides, how to convince parents that technical school graduates can also find good jobs is a problem. Most of them don’t want their children to get technical education and work in the technology industry. Greg Christensen, a director of a steelworker training program, believes that the greasy image of the 'fat bellies' of steelworkers is so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people that it must be difficult for parents to convince them. Cary Pierce, a director of the apprenticeship and college of the Washington State Labor Council of the American Federation of Labor and Industrial Labor Organization, added: “Steelworkers sound a bit like a dirty job. This job is very hard. I hope my child has a better way out”.
Except for Washington, other states are also committed to improving the status and situation of technical education. California allocates 200 million dollars to popularize technical education. Community colleges in Iowa work with businesses to provide more career-related learning opportunities, including apprenticeships and internships. Technical education in Tennessee is free to students. Despite the government's commitment to improve vocational education, the U.S. Technical Reserve Program was not funded by the federal government until 2011. In 2017, 25% of American states reduced funding for higher technical education, according to the National Association for Vocational and Technical Education.
It seems that technical education still has a long and tough way to go, but how could we help it out and accelerate this process?
American high school students do not formally participate in technical education programs. They usually choose to participate in one or more courses in a single technical project or to take scattered courses throughout the technical curriculum system. This should be changed. The technical curriculum should be compulsory subjects. High school students should be required to finish a complete set of courses designed for specific professional areas. The credits of technical courses in high school should be increased. However, what are we going to do with those parents who still have deep stereotypes about technical education?
The government should support technical education, horse and foot. Although there have been 25% of American states that reduced funding for higher technical education, it is still far from enough to make technical education go somewhere. A majority of students still need to be in a lot of debt, having no alternative but to hold the perception that university is a good investment. The white students from rich families can be favored by their parents, reasonable and dignified, but what about those students who are from low-salary, minority, and colored families? At this time, technical education seems to open a door for them, but why not let the sun in, shining the room simultaneously? Through increasing taxes, especially for rich people, the government can be more confident and stronger enough to invest money in technical education and let more and more states reduce fees or even be free to students.
Only through an authoritative and financial way can we really dispel people’s doubt from the bottle of heart. With support, they may have reasons to believe that technical education is not a dark option anymore. Therefore, the serious situation that companies contact technical schools every day to ask if there are any students who can start work immediately may be improved. Furthermore, we people ought to seize the chance tightly, especially those who can’t afford tuition.
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