skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Voc-Tech Schools in MA Help Reduce Skills Gap

play audio
Play

Monday, November 14, 2022   

Educators say Masschusetts's system of vocational-technical high schools could serve as a model for other states struggling with a critical shortage of skilled workers.

"Voc-tech" students in the Commonwealth typically spend their first year exploring up to ten different career and technical majors - followed by three years of on-the-job training and traditional high school courses.

David Ferreira, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators, said students graduate with the industry credentials needed to get hired.

"If you can come out as a pre-apprentice carpenter or pre-apprentice electrician and get into an apprenticeship program," said Ferreira, "you can make a very good living."

Three quarters of U.S. manufacturers say attracting and retaining quality workers are among their greatest challenges - but employers in the Commonwealth say voc-tech graduates are more job-ready than students from traditional, college-prep high schools.

Educational reforms in Massachusetts were made to better incorporate academics into voc-tech training, giving students once thought of as not college material a better chance at pursuing a degree or certificate.

Ferreira said voc-tech schools offer students from low-income households, in particular, a roadmap to financial independence.

"The worst thing that can happen is for a youngster to finish high school, barely pass MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System), and have no skills," said Ferreira, "because now they're out there looking for - you know what kind of job - low skill-set jobs that pay minimum wage."

Ferreira said the state's 36 voc-tech schools also teach more students with special needs compared to other public schools statewide and have a lower dropout rate. He said it shows that students engaged in small-group, hands-on learning stand a greater chance at success.

Vocational-technical schools also have industry advisory councils and build relationships with local businesses that provide equipment and training, as well as a direct pipeline to employment.

Tim Ross is a graduate of Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School in Rochester. He said he originally trained to be a mechanic, like his Dad, but was soon exposed to opportunities in computer information technology.

"I mean, it was just a diverse background, which again, applies to me even to this day," said Ross. "I still develop web pages, I do social networking. And if it wasn't for that background or skill, I wouldn't have had my interest peaked in my brain to go forward and do that."

Ross, like other voc-tech students, worked closely with the same teachers throughout high school and built industry contacts even before graduation - helping him become the systems analyst he is today.


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.





get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021