Vocational training and strong schools

Workforce development is essential for recruiting new employers and providing workers with the skills to move from a minimum wage job to a living wage career. Tom will increase support for vocational programs, training facilities, and our great community colleges. He will also support a national program to recruit and retain quality teachers for underserved rural and small-town K–12 school districts.

• Strong support for vocational programs in our public schools, community colleges, and training centers. Eliminate parts of No Child Left Behind that make it harder to keep students in vocational training and life skills programs. Support greater cooperation with community colleges to allow more high school students to graduate with certifications and credits. In addition to reading and math, students should graduate from high school with the skills to write a resume, the discipline to be drug free, and the confidence to perform in a job interview.
• Launch a national teacher recruitment program, modeled on the success of Teach for America and the New Teachers Program, for retiring baby boomers from the math and sciences fields to ensure a quality teacher in every classroom. The program will make it easier for professionals to transition into a second or later career in teaching and provide a program of on-the-job classroom training.
• “First in the Family” college grants for those who are the first in their family to go to a four-year college
• Support an ROTC-style program that offers college tuition for students who commit to teaching in underserved rural schools for at least five years after graduation.

What do you think is the key to providing students with the education and career training they need to enter the workforce and earn a living wage?