The construction and manufacturing industries recently
announced a new national effort to place greater focus on competency-based
education to help cut rising high school dropout rates. The new partnership
between theAssociated
General Contractors of AmericaandThe Manufacturing Institutewill work to give students ways to graduate with
nationally portable, industry-recognized credentials to succeed in a range of
high-paying jobs.
“Giving students many paths to success is the best way to
keep them from having many chances to fail,” saidDoug Pruitt,
past president of the AGC of America. “Focusing on college prep is fine, but we
also need to teach students skills they can use to literally build a better
future for themselves and their communities.”
Pruitt said that competency-based education programs are
already working to reduce dropout rates among at risk youth. He said a
construction charter school in St. Louis has nearly doubled the graduation rate
of the same city’s overall public school system. He also said students
completing the construction program operated within the San Diego Unified
School District were passing the state’s core competency test at rates far
above comparable non-construction students.
As a result, the two groups will help support the creation,
design, and implementation of new ways for at-risk youth to graduate by
creating opportunities for them to demonstrate mastery of practical skills that
are directly applicable in the workplace. In addition, both groups are calling
for new private and public sector investments in workforce development
programs, industry-recognized skills certifications, and ensuring students get
educational credits for successfully attaining skills with real value in the
workplace. The partnership will also work to help develop the secondary career
and technical education curriculum and planning that incorporates skills
certifications.
“The integration of competency-based curricula in both high
school and community college programs that lead to nationally portable,
industry-recognized skills certifications incents students to graduate,” saidEmily
DeRocco, president of The Manufacturing Institute. “It makes it
worthwhile for a student to stay in school when they realize that time spent in
the classroom actually leads to a high-quality job in manufacturing or
construction at the other end.”
For more information on the new partnership,read
here.
Source: AGC of America
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