15 / 32
Summer 2016
15
Living-wage jobs
that do not require
postsecondary
education will
become even
rarer in the future
as technological
progress raises the
demand for more
highly skilled labor.
designed to provide students the skills
they need for immediate entry into the
workforce, they also provide a founda-
tion that can lead towards careers that
require postsecondary credentials—
from technical certificates to PhDs.
High-quality CTE programs encourage
students to pursue postsecondary
education as they develop a passion
for their field of study. Thus, CTE is not
simply training for the labor force but
can be a first step toward a variety of
options.
Matson suggested that at the pro-
grammatic level, CTE must be aligned
with industry requirements and
relevant to student needs. To provide
students the skills and knowledge they
need, CTE programs should be de-
signed through coordination between
employers and educators. CTE course
development at SEA-Tech (Southeast
Area Technical Skills Center) relies
upon the input of advisory boards that
provide feedback on curriculum and
instruction. Engagement with repre-
sentatives from local industries helps
administrators align CTE courses with
industry standards, and creates interest
in local employment opportunities.
Aside from the image problem
noted above, challenges to the expan-
sion of quality CTE include:
●
●
Difficulty hiring and retaining
industry-qualified teachers because
of wage competition.
●
●
Rigid graduation requirements that
provide students with little flexibility
to choose CTE electives.
●
●
The high cost of developing pro-
grams that rely on state-of-the-art
technology and equipment.
Workforce education
Many speakers highlighted the signifi-
cance of middle-skills level training for
workforce readiness. Middle-skills jobs
refers to jobs that require more than
a high school diploma but less than
a four-year degree—in other words,
a technical certification or Associate’s
degree. Jobs that require some form of
postsecondary education make up the
largest part of the labor market nation-
wide. In Washington state, 50 percent
of all jobs are middle-skill, according
to data compiled by the National Skills
Coalition. According to “Learning While
Earning: The New Normal,” in 2018,
two-thirds of employment will require
some sort of postsecondary educa-
tion. Thus, in many respects, commu-
nity college-level education is the new
“basic education” for success in today’s
economy. Pete Peterson, Principal
of Walla Walla High School (Wa-Hi),
noted that even though not everyone
will need a postsecondary credential
to get a living-wage job, failing to
prepare students forecloses oppor-
tunities. Currently, 38 percent of the
population 25 and older in Walla Walla
County has an Associate’s degree or
higher; in Milton-Freewater, the rate is
half that (19 percent), and in Columbia
County, it is 32 percent (U.S. Census,
American Community Survey, 2014).
WWCC provides many options for
workforce training, and the largest
percentage of students at WWCC (42
percent) are enrolled in workforce
programs (compared to 30 percent in
transfer programs, 12 percent in basic
skills and 16 percent in other pro-
grams). The Washington State Board
for Community and Technical Colleges
governs the development of work-
force programs. It requires that work-
force programs are aligned with job
demand and growth, and put gradu-
ates on a path to a living-wage job
(see chart on pages 16 and 17). Since a
living wage is difficult to pinpoint be-
cause it varies by family composition,
administrators seek job categories
that pay relatively high hourly wages
with potential to increase. Like CTE,
workforce programs rely on the ex-
pertise of advisory boards to provide
feedback on program design, curricu-
lum, and industry standards. Advisory
boards are composed of volunteers
from local industries, and their input is
vital to quality workforce education.
Workforce programs at WWCC aim
to provide students with the aca-
demic skills, soft skills and technical
skills they will need to be employed
in living-wage jobs. Technical training
forms the core of the curriculum, and
academic skills are developed through
courses in “related instruction,” such
as math and communication. To help
students acquire soft skills, many
workforce programs combine practi-
cal skill acquisition with real-world
work environments. For example,
the Enology and Viticulture program
operates a vineyard and winery; the
Culinary program runs a café, food
truck, and seasonal restaurant. As in
a workplace, students wear industry-
appropriate apparel and are expected
to show up on time and interact with
the public. Workforce programs that
do not incorporate a business com-