New law says students must be told about skilled labor, military careers

A law that goes into effect Wednesday mandates public schools in Colorado must inform high school students that not all postsecondary paths lead to college.

School counselors also must tell students about jobs as skilled laborers and military personnel.

“A four-year college degree may be a good fit for some,” said Phil Covarrubias, the Brighton Republican and owner of an excavation company who sponsored House Bill 1041. “But I want students to know that there’s great opportunity in trade schools and through military service that doesn’t require the enormous cost of tuition at universities.”

The bill requires that each student’s Individual Career and Academic Plan include information about the various career pathways available to them, and the types of certificates and jobs to which each pathway leads.

The law will help reintroduce skilled trades to high school students, who can earn early apprenticeships and exposure to good-paying jobs right after graduation, Covarrubias said.

Schools in Colorado should not have any problems implementing the new law, said Matt Cook, director of public policy and advocacy for the Colorado Association of School Boards.

“A number of school districts already include information about skilled jobs and possible military service in a student’s academic plans,” Cook said. “This law just makes it more uniform around the state.”

A 2015 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Association of Home Builders said there are 143,000 vacant construction positions nationwide, and 69 percent of the members surveyed were experiencing delays in completing projects due to a shortage of workers.

After a drop from 2009 to 2012, enrollment in career and technical education courses has surged in Colorado with more than 125,000 high schoolers and 20,000 middle schoolers enrolling in 2015.