Image description:

Students of the vocational education college are taking a course at SAIC. (Source: Visual China)

Bloomberg, June 20th article, original title: Trump will inject 3 billion dollars into the vocational school program. The bipartisan support for vocational education in the United States should be transformed into concrete actions. President Donald Trump recently expressed support for a great plan: an additional investment of 3 billion dollars in vocational schools and suggested drawing this funding from the science and medical research funds allocated to Harvard University. Although this move may face challenges in court, it should not weaken the value of the plan and its strong appeal to both parties in the United States.

Vocational education enrollment increased by 20% over five years

A clear point is that the struggle between the U.S. government and Harvard University and other Ivy League universities is not a good strategy. People can criticize many aspects of these institutions, especially their failures in combating anti-Semitism in recent years, but this should not affect the budget allocation for research of important academic institutions. That said, if the U.S. president wants to have a chance to unite the Republican and Democratic parties, he should increase support for vocational education.

In recent years, more and more American young people have chosen to enter vocational education institutions. Since 2020, the number of students in such institutions has increased by about 20%. High-quality vocational education programs can bring high-paying jobs to students while also helping them avoid the large debts that may come with attending a four-year university. As artificial intelligence expands into more knowledge-based work areas, the appeal of these vocational programs may grow rapidly.

Vocational education should be closely linked to the market

However, too many vocational education programs have not kept up with the times and are out of touch with the current job market, leading to waste of taxpayer funds and missed opportunities for students. Community colleges and high schools also face the same problem. At present, the United States continues to need more mechanics, plumbers, and welders, and industries traditionally not valued by vocational schools are also experiencing increasing job vacancies, including healthcare, advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and information technology sectors.

Linking vocational training closely with employment market trends can bring significant benefits to businesses, consumers, and the U.S. labor market, allowing them to enjoy higher wages and greater mobility. Achieving this connection requires reforms in several key areas. First, curriculum programs need to be more closely aligned with companies and their needs. To ensure students acquire skills that can be immediately used after graduation, educational and business leaders should collaborate, and charitable organizations should also get involved.

Second, the federal government can take more measures to encourage states and local governments to invest in such programs. Under the leadership of both parties in the United States, many states and cities are playing a leading role in this area. Local governments should provide more funding to support the creation and promotion of projects based on data-driven research that achieve the best employment and income outcomes.

Companies need to set up more apprenticeship programs

Congress should incentivize business owners to set up more apprenticeship programs. This can be achieved through moderate employer tax credits or wage subsidies, as some states are currently doing.

One of the key challenges facing vocational education is the lack of qualified teachers, as these professionals earn much more in their own jobs than they would as instructors. The government can help expand the talent pool by relaxing teacher certification requirements, allowing more experienced professionals (including older workers interested in teaching) to enter the field, simplifying part-time teaching processes so skilled professionals can maintain external employment, and offering bonuses or higher salaries to the best-performing teachers.

As for the government, Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated her support for vocational colleges during her confirmation hearing, and she should insist on preventing research on education programs funded by the Department of Education from being cut, which helps determine the most effective program designs and avoids wasting taxpayers' money.

The more support the government provides for technical colleges, the more important reliable data and research are to guide them. Vigorously developing vocational education provides an excellent opportunity to show that the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States can reach a consensus on a major domestic policy issue. (Translated by Wang Jianguo)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7519354177006207528/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking the [top/down] buttons below.