Local leaders stress need for career and technical education
Panel addresses future workforce
To fill an estimated 80,000 new jobs and open positions in the Pittsburgh area over the next decade, educators, government officials and employers agree that they need to communicate better to prepare the workforce of the future.
That effort was the subject of a panel discussion Wednesday, hosted by Pittsburgh Public Schools at Westinghouse Academy in Homewood. The event,
“Bridging the Workforce Development Gap,” was held in conjunction with Career and Technical Education Month and included tours of the six CTE programs based at Westinghouse.
“It’s not a question of jobs, it’s a question of who’s going to fill those jobs,” Mayor Bill Peduto said.
Over a lunch of lasagna made by Westinghouse’s culinary arts students, Mr. Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, PPS deputy superintendent Anthony Anderson, Pittsburgh Promise executive director Saleem Ghubril and others discussed the value of CTE programs and initiatives aimed at getting students
engaged and prepared for the workforce. The panel was moderated by Matt Stem, deputy secretary of elementary and secondary education for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Current students will be asked to fill a shortfall of thousands of jobs vacated by retiring baby boomers and new jobs that haven’t even been created yet, Mr. Stem said.
“We have an opportunity and a responsibility to find
out how we’re going to bridge those gaps,” he said.
Pittsburgh school district leaders and other local educators and elected officials praised the efforts of PPS’ CTE offerings. More than 500 students across the district are enrolled in 15 programs that include information technology, automotive body repair, cosmetology, carpentry, health careers technology and emergency response technology. In 201718,
187 students graduated with at least one industry certification, school district officials said.
“In Pittsburgh, our needs are everywhere,” Mr. Fitzgerald said.
Part of the challenge, officials said, is raising awareness about the programs and CTE opportunities offered in Pittsburgh schools.
“If we can get more students into these programs and show them the relevance of what they’re learning through CTE, they’ll exceed any expectations,” Mr. Anderson said.