HD44 - Report of the Joint Subcommittee Studying Vocational-Technical and Career Education

  • Published: 1983
  • Author: Joint Subcommittee Studying Vocational-Technical and Career Education
  • Enabling Authority: House Joint Resolution 141 (Regular Session, 1982)

Executive Summary:
This study was conducted under the auspices of House Joint Resolution No. 141 of 1982. The Joint Subcommittee on Vocational-Technical and Career Education had completed several years of study focused on the identification of the programs which would be ideal for the Commonwealth in vocational-technical and career education. As a result of this work, a definition of career education was developed which was adopted by the General Assembly as presented in House Joint Resolution No. 224 of 1981 and incorporated into the requirements of the Standards of Quality during the 1982 revisions.

The focus of the Joint Subcommittee's work during 1982 was business/industry/ education cooperation. Under the continuing resolution, the Joint Subcommittee was charged with:

1. Determining the effects of proposed reductions in federal support for vocational-technical education on the local vocational-technical education services currently available in public schools in Virginia;

2. Identifying the incentives necessary for greater business and industry participation in vocational-technical education;

3. Identifying alternative vocational-technical education resources, including business, industry, and private vocational schools, which could be engaged to offset possible reductions in vocational education service levels as a result of the loss of federal dollars; and

4. Determining the means to ensure maximum use of these alternative resources at the least cost to state and local governments.

In order to achieve these goals, the Subcommittee adopted the following objectives:

A. To investigate the cooperative arrangements between business/industry/education already operating in the Commonwealth;

B. To monitor the proposals for funding vocational-technical education being considered by the federal government;

C. To solicit the input of a broad spectrum of representatives of business and industry concerning:

1. the needs of business and industry;

2. the strengths and weaknesses of vocational-technical education and career education as perceived by leaders of business and industry;

3. incentives for business/industry participation in providing vocational-technical and career education; and

4. mechanisms for establishing a permanent system to foster strong collaborative delivery of vocational-technical and career education in a variety of disciplines to the Commonwealth's young people.

D. To solicit input from educators and citizens from all demographic and geographic areas of the Commonwealth on the present status of vocational-technical and career education funding in the localities, the effectiveness of the programs and the projected future needs both in terms of funding and development of programs responsive to the needs of business and industry; and

E. To examine the roles of the public schools, the community college system, the public four-year institutions of higher education and the proprietary vocational-technical schools in providing training for entry level employment for the children, young adults and unemployed older adults in Virginia.

To accomplish these objectives, the Subcommittee established the need for specific data, reports, testimony and other actions (see Appendix A for suggestions for accomplishing objectives).