Bipartisan CTE Excellence and Equity Act would have immediate impact here, Sen. Capito: 'This would help prepare the workforce for the future'

Certainly it is not very often a piece of federal legislation could have a positive and profound impact here in Preston County. But perhaps a bipartisan bill pushed by Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., might be one of the first.

The legislation she helped introduce is called the CTE Excellence and Equity Act, which would support re-designing the high school experience to include courses more relevant to the 21st century workforce to better prepare students for future careers.

Along with Sen. Capito, the legislation was introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Todd Young, R-Ind.

According to a press release from Sen. Capito’s office, the bill would provide federal funding for partnerships between school districts, employers and institutions of higher education in West Virginia and other states that integrate high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programs into high schools. These partnerships would help students earn industry recognized credentials or credit toward a post-secondary degree or certificate and an understanding of the relevance of coursework in the context of a future career.

“As West Virginia undergoes an economic transition and grapples with high unemployment, it is critical that we take steps to equip our workforce with the right skills for today’s jobs,” Sen. Capito said in a press release. “I’m pleased to join with my colleagues to introduce the CTE Excellence and Equity Act, which supports necessary partnerships between higher education and employers and will improve career and technical training in our high schools.”

The legislation has a unique connection to the county. Many might not realize that Preston High School is considered to be the best school in the state when it comes to its post-secondary readiness program. Back in February, the West Virginia Department of Education listed PHS with having 88 percent of its students ready for either higher education or a job after graduation. The state average is 54 percent.

Post-secondary readiness is based on the number of points earned for students passing Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate tests, scoring well in college-credit bearing courses or completing the school Career Technical Education (CTE) program.

According to PHS principal Dr. David Pasterick, out of 1,174 total students at the school, 1,093 are taking a CTE course as a course of concentration or as an elective. Some of the students are taking more than one program.

The program is certainly a huge draw for our local high school students, many of whom take full advantage of the 24 different courses to choose from in the program. In fact, during the 2016-17 academic year, 376 seniors, juniors and some sophomores participated in CTE programs to become what folks at the Preston High call, “completers.” A completer is someone who finishes four courses in a specific discipline. And, out of those 376 students, 345 are involved in the school’s brand new Simulated

Work Place Program, which replicates the real-world job environment.

Senator Capito’s CTE Excellence and Equity Act falls right in-line with success happening locally.

“This bill gives high school students exposure to real-world, workforce training,” Sen. Capito said Wednesday. “It will help prepare the workforce, including those in Preston County, for the future.”