CONTRIBUTIONS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TO RESTRUCTURING EDUCATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN WORK FORCE

WHEREAS, the United States is undergoing fundamental economic, demographic and cultural changes that will shape the world of work for tomorrow; and

WHEREAS, restructuring will play an important role both in finding solutions to our economic problems and in bringing about the necessary changes in our education system that must take place if the United States is to remain a world leader; and

WHEREAS, the changing nature of work and the workplace are requiring new sets of skills, and those skills are best developed in an educational setting where students learn how to function as members of a team and learn to interact with ever-changing technology in a decentralized and flexible production environment; and

WHEREAS, quality vocational courses teach problem-solving and analytical skills, reinforce basic communications and interpersonal skills through applied and small-group learning activities, provide students an opportunity to learn how to gather and analyze information, apply reasoning and consider applications of technology to problems related to real-life career situations; and

WHEREAS, in quality vocational courses, students receive instruction that is individualized and often emphasizes student mastery of specific skills or competencies, provides opportunities to work in teams and often on group projects, and, of all educational enterprises, most closely reflects real-life experiences; and

WHEREAS, many of these same characteristics are at the heart of efforts to restructure academic education:

RESOLVED, that the AFT encourage greater articulation between academic and vocational education programs, between secondary and postsecondary programs and between education programs and the needs of employers in the community; and

RESOLVED, that in the process of developing these articulated programs, the special contribution that vocational education makes to restructuring efforts of academic education be recognized; and

RESOLVED, information about the special nature of vocational education programs be made available to those members interested in incorporating features of vocational education into academic restructuring efforts.