Alabama has record low unemployment, but also has some of the worst labor participation rates in the country. On Thursday, the State Board of Education, led by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, took bold action to change that. At Thursday’s meeting, the school board members voted in favor to intend to adopt an amended Alabama Administrative Code 290-3-1-.02 pertaining to regulations governing public schools. The new regs will require that Alabama public schools work more towards making sure that Alabama high school students are on a path toward either college or entering the workforce and not just passing along in the education system.
“Today, Alabama took a productive step forward to better prepare our students for the workforce. We have got to close the gap between the graduation rate and the college and career readiness rate,” Gov. Ivey said in a statement. “This vote will help support our schools to do exactly that. To put this into perspective: For the classes of 2020 and 2021, the Alabama graduation rate was 92 percent; the college and career readiness rate was 76 percent. Folks that is a 16-percentage point gap, and we have to prepare Alabama students and workers for the jobs of tomorrow. Not only will we be closing the numbers gap here, we will be eliminating any opportunity gaps by making sure our students are ready to take the next step. Alabama parents want their children to graduate high school with the skills needed to excel in college and their career, and I share that goal. With the college and career readiness indicators, we now have more ways for students to demonstrate readiness than ever before. I am proud to take this important step to ensure every Alabama student has the opportunity for a successful future.”
High school students graduating but then either not working or taking a series of part-time entry-level positions at minimum wage positions has long frustrated both employers and state workforce development, officials. There are numerous jobs available as truck drivers, nursing assistants, plumbers, pipefitters, welders, machinists, masons, diesel mechanics, cybersecurity specialists, corrections officers, law enforcement, etc. that do not require a college degree but do require some degree of training and skill development.
State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) chairs the House Ways and Means Education Committee in the Alabama House of Representatives.
“What’s happened in the past is that teachers were steering people towards college, and not everybody is college material,” Garrett told Alabama Today.
Garrett said that whether to take a college or a career path in high school would not be decided by the state.
“We don’t want some educrat putting limits on the potential of the child,” Garrett said. “Ultimately, that is the decision between the parent and the child.”
“We need to be candid with the parents of the child,” Garrett explained. “We can know a lot based on the testing that we have now.”
Garrett said that the schools will still have to comply with federal special education law.
“A lot of students have individualized education plans,” Garrett commented. “Those still have to be followed. You have to comply with the law. Sometimes the education plans are unrealistic.”
“We need to set spending priorities,” Garrett said. “What we can’t do is spend everything that we are spending now and then add this on top of it. We need to be more strategic in our thinking.”
Alabama Today asked if the students were going to be encouraged to go into trade schools.
“We need to broaden our definition of what we mean by career ready,” Garrett said. “Technology has changed many fields and there is a huge demand for IT professionals.”
Garrett stressed that technology has changed many fields, and the education system needs to keep up.
“Auto mechanics is not the same as it once was now that you have the microchip,” Garrett stated. “Yes, we need to make sure that we have qualified instructors.”
Currently, more Alabama students are on a pre-college path than will ever enroll in a college, much less actually get the degree. Many that do enroll in college are not prepared for college and have to enroll in remedial classes teaching subject matter that they should have learned in K-12…….and assuming student loan debt in the process.
The new regulations are designed to identify a student’s interests and aptitude and then help get the skills training for them to enter into a career path so that when they finish high school they are prepared to directly enter the workforce, be admitted into a certificate program where they learn a trade, join the military, or go to a college or university.
Workforce development has become a major concern to state economic planners as unemployment rates have never been lower, but far too many people are still living below the poverty line because they either lack the skills that industry needs today and are thus underemployed, or they are not in the workforce at all just getting by. The state needs to have to be able to provide skilled labor to potential employers who are considering locating in Alabama.
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