Republican lawmaker proposes more vocational training options

[Judi Lynn]

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Published January 21, 2006
< From the Lansing State Journal >

Republican lawmaker proposes more vocational training options
Foreign languages would not be among mandatory classes

By Amy F. Bailey
Associated Press

EAST LANSING - High school students could begin receiving vocational training in their freshman year and they would not need to take a foreign language class to graduate under a proposal being developed by a Republican lawmaker.

Rep. Brian Palmer, R-Romeo, chairman of the House Education Committee, laid out some of the details of his proposed curriculum changes during Friday's taping of public television's "Off the Record" program.

Palmer said he wants to offer more flexibility to students.

Students who decide to receive vocational training throughout high school would be taught the core subjects of math, science and English while learning technical skills, he said.
(snip/...)

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060121/NEWS05/601210323/1006/news05

[rodeodance]

1. even Europe -on the whole-is changing to less, not more--

vocational approach in in their secondary schools.


Edited

[Sadie5]

3. Needs to get them trained

for all those $7-9 per hour jobs at McDonald's.

[cmdrzog]

8. Actually it might be a good idea

for example plumbers, electricians and carpenters are all essential trades that offer a decent living, can't be outsourced, and in many instances are unionized. On the other hand it could just be another program to provide friends and family w/ more teaching and administrative jobs.

[roseBudd]

11. The skilled trades are staffed by men reaching retirement age and

there is a projected shortage.

[VegasWolf]

15. Au Contraire!! In large cities like New York even jobs such as plumbing

are being outsourced to cheap Indian labor through the use of H1B visas much as the high tech industry has done. Large plumbing and electrical contractors are bringing in skilled labor from other countries ( i.e. India ) for short term periods then recycling the labor pool with new visa workers. They can afford to pay 1/3 the going rate to the Indians and the cost of a plane ticket is pretty cheap. But one can still be a good plumber in Mudflat, Ok.

[cmdrzog]

19. Interesting information

One can still be a good plumber or electrician on LI NY, where I live, too. Also a carpenter, tree surgeon or boiler mechanic. New construction is not the only source of revenue.

[flordehinojos]

2. the continuing dumbing down of america?

[aquart]

4. Too damn late to offer languages then.

We have to teach foreign languages in grade school.

[rodeodance]

5. yes, language learning is best taught early.

[rodeodance]

6. I think this is a recognition that the typical HS curriculum is not workin

g for many students--as both Dems and Repugs are involved in this proposal.

The NCLB is extending to HScools now-hense the push in math and sciences still included. It is an effort to reduce the drop out rate (which affects Fed. funding).
Is this the solution?--

[dflprincess]

17. Real Amuricans

don't need no stinking foreign language. Hell, real Amuricans don't even need to speak English good*:sarcasm:


*Author is aware that this is not grammatically correct

[rodeodance]

7. recomended

[mcscajun]

9. Nice idea but NOT starting in Freshman year.

Lock kids at the age of 13-14 into a life-altering decision? He's Got To Get Serious!

Let them get freshman and sophomore year done with all the usual requirements before they make the decision, then they can switch in junior year to the technical track, and move on to Vocational School for a year or so afterward to lock in whatever skills they need to become plumbers, carpenters, electricians, auto mechanics -- all certified and union-eligible. :)

I'm all for more skilled tradesmen and union members. We need both.

Let's just not let children leap before they've looked.

It's the drop-outs that this is supposed to prevent who'll wind up in the "paper-hat" or mop-and-broom jobs, if they're lucky. Vocational graduates will at least have a trade; jobs that are hands-on and location-specific cannot be outsourced or offshored. Knowledge-based jobs, those marvelous products of the Information Age, can (and DO) go anywhere.

[ourbluenation]

10. Great Idea and one my special ed hubby teacher has been advocating

This is good for an obvious reason and one not so obvious.

1) Not all kids are college bound material, but they leave high school and then????

2) Creates a larger skilled blue collar population that will join unions, etc...you get the picture.

[sweetheart]

21. it's smart to have 2 skill sets

1 that is vocational, like plumbing or joinery/construction, and another
professional like engineering. Then if 1 career is in a bind, the other
will pay the bills.

But gosh, a foreign language is not the thing to drop. If you want to make
big money in future, learn chinese, learn hindi and arabic. 3 languages
are worth 100K... Don't waste time on spanish and french... focus on the
economic languages of the future, and there WILL be work across that
language divide.

[Vinca]

12. I think this is a great idea. Our plumber, who is about to retire,

always asks if we know anyone who wants to learn the trade. As far as the "dumbing down of America goes," when the toilet backs up I don't want a neurosurgeon coming to the house . . . even if he charges less than the plumber! And what are the chances a plumber's job will be outsourced? Zip, zero, none.

[area51]

18. "And what are the chances a plumber's job will be outsourced?"

As was said upthread, any job that can't be offshored can be inshored by bringing in legal or illegal immigrants.

As long as this nazi govt. greases the skids to support offshoring/inshoring w/tax breaks, it will continue to accelerate.

[Charlie Brown]

13. He has a point about vocational training

They should not drop the language requirement, though.

[justabob]

16. Agreed

I love the idea of more vocational options at high school. I think it is not wise to eliminate foreign language though, particularly spanish. THey could focus on language pertaining to their trade rather than the broad formal training most classes feature.

[Sgent]

14. I still think all HS

students should take a minimum academic curriculum so they can go to college if they choose -- but at least when I went to HS, I probably only needed 50% of my classes for college admissions -- the rest were electives of some sort.

Electricians, Plumers, Mechanics, Computer Networking, etc., all are good and honorable jobs -- and pay much better than $7-9/hr even in this non-unionized area. I don't see how taking 2 years of spanish in HS is particularly beneficial if your not going to continue to study it either.

[WhiteTara]

20. got to keep our plumbers and electricians

and other service techs. No need for that college education, that just leads to insurgents.