Community Commentary:

As the legislature grapples with improving California’s education system and preparing students to meet the needs of the 21st-century workplace, something called career technology is receiving a great deal of attention and support.

Career technology, sometimes called vocational training, has been publicly supported by the governor and has received unprecedented bipartisan support from the legislature and education leaders.

Career Technical Education (CTE) is a shift from a traditional focus on entry-level jobs that do not require additional education or training beyond high school to prepare students for technical careers.

While it is important for all students to master basic academic principles, many of our youth must also be prepared to succeed in technical training after high school. There are huge numbers of job opportunities in the technical employment field. And let’s be frank — that’s where the vast majority of new highly paid jobs are.

For example, the average industrial technician earned $54,643 in 2006, according to the California Employment Department, while all other full-time U.S. workers earned a median income of less than $34,000.

The rapidly growing number of tech and skilled labor jobs will sustain California’s middle class in the coming years. Accordingly, students should have the opportunity to acquire both the technical and academic skills they’ll need to adapt in our ever-evolving economy.

Qualified employees are needed to maintain California’s economic prosperity. The California Employment Development Department expects 6.5 million new job openings to be generated in the state by 2014.

The largest number of jobs will be created by economic growth (2.5 million) and by Baby Boomer retirements (4 million replacement jobs). These job openings provide vast opportunities for both entry-level job-seekers and highly skilled, technology-savvy workers. A 2006 report from the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy concluded, “It is not true that most jobs will require a four-year degree. The new emphasis on career technical education will be instrumental in converting California’s workforce challenges into opportunities.”

It’s no secret that one key to strengthening our economy in California is to ensure that all students, no matter what path they choose to take, succeed in our schools.

My colleague, state Sen. Mark Wyland (R-Carlsbad) has introduced important CTE legislation, Senate Bill 253, that would authorize school districts to award career technical certificates to pupils who complete four CTE courses.

By supporting hands-on CTE courses, we can keep our kids in school and provide them with the skills they will need to find jobs that best suit their interests and provide them a stable future.

Ever since California began implementing its system of state academic standards tests and school accountability in 1997, the emphasis has been on the core subjects of English, math, science and history/social studies.

By overemphasizing these college prep courses, the state has left most high school students without the proper skills to apply for jobs within the fastest-growing sectors in the California economy.

In fact, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projections show less than a 1% increase in the proportion of jobs in the national economy requiring a baccalaureate degree or higher in the next six years.

A most unfortunate result of our state’s departure from vocational training has been the high dropout rate — in fact, more than 30% of students are falling through the cracks because of an education system that prepares kids for only one option: college.

Essentially we’re telling students that if they don’t enjoy academic work, they don’t have much value to society. These are the people who make our world operate every day — highly skilled people who manufacture, deliver and install the products and services we cannot do without.

California’s education system needs to be recalibrated in order to get our schools back on track and get kids re-engaged.

Our state needs to move forward, setting policies that will provide students with the technical knowledge and skills they will need to choose and excel in a career path that is right for them. This is an opportunity for us to turn a potential workforce crisis into a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fill jobs, grow the economy and attract talented kids back to school with a meaningful career technical education.

TOM HARMAN is a state senator covering the 35th District, which includes Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley.