Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Smart kids!
From Northwest Public Radio:
Those kids, presumably led by their parents, are EXACTLY RIGHT. They see how their future can be successful. They're returning to the pre-1970 secret of American success, which is the only way America will succeed again. Good technical training will serve those kids well for a lifetime, and will also serve the whole country.
Sounds like the educrats in Oklahoma (no surprise!) and Idaho (slight surprise!) are on the right track. Let's hope educrats in other states can see this trend and adjust accordingly. Cut colleges to the bone, strip out the pointless college orientation of high schools. Focus entirely on getting the kids into a job with the best possible training! ¶ 5:03 PM
An over-enrolled technical high school opening for the first time this fall in north Idaho indicates an unmet hunger for practical job training. The multi-district collaboration in Rathdrum doesn’t even have a roof yet, and enrollment already exceeds capacity. Now, the school is on the hunt for more instructors.
The Kootenai Technical Education Campus, or KTEC, is due to open this fall. Enrollment is offered to public school students from around the Coeur d’Alene area. Those lucky enough to be admitted will spend half-days learning in-demand skills like welding, computer repair or diesel mechanics. The school was originally designed to have 280 students, but 900 have signed up.
KTEC director Mark Cotner says when it comes to hiring instructors, these courses require a higher level of expertise than the shop class you might remember from school. “These programs are really based on industry certifications," Cotner explains. "So that when a student comes out of say the welding program, they are already certified for the welding industry.”
North Idaho voters approved a property tax levy in 2010 to build the Kootenai Technical Education Campus. It uses an Oklahoma model that bases technical curriculum on the needs of the regional economy. Another similar school was built in Wilder, Idaho.
Those kids, presumably led by their parents, are EXACTLY RIGHT. They see how their future can be successful. They're returning to the pre-1970 secret of American success, which is the only way America will succeed again. Good technical training will serve those kids well for a lifetime, and will also serve the whole country.
Sounds like the educrats in Oklahoma (no surprise!) and Idaho (slight surprise!) are on the right track. Let's hope educrats in other states can see this trend and adjust accordingly. Cut colleges to the bone, strip out the pointless college orientation of high schools. Focus entirely on getting the kids into a job with the best possible training! ¶ 5:03 PM
