Billions of tax dollars later, the geniuses in state government finally figure out that our state public school system, which attempts to put all students on a college track, utterly fails a large number of students and the market.
The South has a shortage of workers to fill middle-skills jobs such as medical technicians and computer support workers, even as many four-year graduates struggle to repay student loans, according to a study released Sunday.
The report released by the National Skills Coalition during the Southern Governors Association meeting in Asheville shows that 51 percent of all jobs in the American South fall into the “middle-skills” category, requiring education and training beyond high school but less than a four-year degree …
In North Carolina, 51 percent of available jobs fall into the middle-skills category. The study says 43 percent of job seekers are able to meet those qualifications.
Panelist James Wiseman, of Toyota Motors Corp., said his company struggles to find qualified workers for jobs as electricians, maintenance, and tool and die technicians – jobs that often pay between $50,000 and $75,000 a year.
This, like many other easily solvable problems in our society, is the creation of political correctness. It is politically incorrect to believe that some students simply aren’t intellectually suited for college — and maybe don’t even have a personal desire to go.
Everyone has to be pounded into that mold or it would simply be unfair. And if some students can’t be pounded into that mold, we obsess about where we as a society have failed them, that it must be discrimination or something. Then we spend billions trying to close educational and intellectual gaps between students that won’t budge … or some idiot judge orders us to spend billions trying to close educational gaps that won’t budge. And after all that, students emerge from the public education system largely unqualified for many of the jobs that exist.
Why can’t we track capable kids into these sorts of technical professions from a young age? Instead of all that teaching to the test, and the endless rounds of testing to assess the teaching, why not use some of that time and money to test kids to see where their capabilities lie? If we’ve got to pay for their education for 12 years, why not teach those who will never be college material the tool and die trade for two years starting in high school?
And speaking of college, Bill Gates is on to something. The days of middle class families paying $200,000 to send their kid to a brick and mortar college so that every feminist studies wacko professor can have tenure must end. Colleges have become little more than a welfare state for those churning out liberal propaganda.
Gates wants most kids of the future to go to to college online — for $2,000 a year, not $20,000. The brick and mortar college system shouldn’t end completely of course. Those on a science track will still need some sort of place to show up physically for labs. The scientific research that colleges and universities churn out is critical. But for liberal arts?
Those classes should be available from and taken online. Parents must demand – and given the shape of the economy soon will demand — that more college degrees be offered online as on option by serious institutions like our state schools. Taxpayers must demand it, too. We just can’t afford this educational mess anymore. Gates says it is terribly inefficient. I agree.
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2011 At 9:53 am, havermeyer Said:
This is an excellent point and one in which professional educators have failed kids. Each person is differently adapted and finds enjoyment in their work be it at a computer or behind a welding torch. The title of your job isn’t the honor, it’s what you put into the work that makes it honorable.
If my schedule would allow for it, acquiring welding skills would be my first choice. It’s building and assembling something physical and to me it’s empowering and satifsying to behold. In addition, after slumming around some nuke plants, if you show up on time, don’t do drugs and are even reasonably competent, you can choose where and when you want to work.
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2011 At 10:25 am, dj Said:
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I just observed Morgan, BOE, reflecting at the end of a recent BOE meeting, that it used to be true at CMS the the lowest percentile of students used to be assured of getting the lowest percentile of teachers, but that Gorman should be honored for changing things such that the lowest percentile of students were at least as likely, if not more likley, to get the highest percentile of teachers.
I suppose it depends on exactly how you define those terms, highest percentile of teachers and lowest percentile of students, but for Morgan et al to be PROUD of that concerns me. Doesn’t all that mean we are likely to have the best and brightest, and most knowledgeable teachers, not teaching the best, brightest, and most knowledgeable students with the potential for MBA’s and world changing cures, but teaching the lowest percentile, who are more appropriately suited for these middle skills jobs, who would be happy and fulfilled with these middle skills jobs?
For CMS to say their goal is to help each child to reach their potential is a lie. CMS’s goal is and has been to close “the educational gap” by artificially boasting low performers, with over-proportional recourses, while knee-capping the high performing students. It should be a crime for the BOE to equate outcomes, and close the gap, by boosting one group at the sacrifice of the other.
At 54 years of age I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be. I took five years at VA Tech back in 1980 to get a BS double-major in Marketing Management and General Business, and did benefit from that opening doors for me as an technical sales engineer for a number of years–but I likely would have been happier being an auto mechanic.
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2011 At 11:13 am, Skyler the Weird Said:
Polical Correctness is just a way for people who say they don’t believe in right or wrong to be right(even though they are most likely wrong).
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2011 At 5:38 pm, beskeptical Said:
Couldn’t agree more with the everyone goes to college philosophy. Both my sons graduated from CMS schools. My older one was a smart student who took to school and was college bound. He learned, graduated and graduated in 4 years (an accomplishment in today’s world) from UNC and works at a great company.
My younger one hated school. He’s smart but spent all his time figuring out how to get through school without doing the work because it didn’t interest him. CMS doesn’t offer another track for kids like him. He graduated after summer school that year and is now a SGT in the Marine Corps and is the Heavy Equipment Chief for his platoon in Afghanistan.
While he figured out his way in life without the help of the school system he’s got friends that were in his boat and are now floundering in life. One was recently ecstatic that he got a job delivering pizzas at age 24. If there had been some other path available I’d bet he’d have a good paying job or at least be on track to get there.
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2011 At 6:13 pm, russ Said:
Whatever happened to VoTech schools? Back when I was in high school, there were a number of kids who would put in a half of a day at school (getting NJ required classes for graduation) and then spend the second half of the day at a vocational technical school learning a trade.
Why is that a bad thing?
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2011 At 1:31 pm, JasonP Said:
You say that some kids aren’t suited for college which is true, but there are also those who aren’t intellectually suited for grade school but they’re forced to stay in there until they’re 16, to the detriment of every other student they come into contact with. At the age of 16, they can then drive and so don’t necessarily have to be baby sat by the educational system anymore. And babysitter is exactly the function of schools for many students from kindergarten to however long they stay in it. Unfortunately this won’t end any time soon, as “diversity” will be proclaimed as the saving grace for the children and the nation. Let them drop out whenever they want. When the survivors get burned out and realize they need something more steady and safe than thievery, drug dealing and pimping, VoTech schools will be there to teach them a trade to make an honest living with.