PREPARING STUDENTS FOR TOMORROW'S WORKPLACE

WHEREAS, most education initiatives focus on the needs of the 25 percent of high school graduates who successfully pursue baccalaureate degrees immediately upon graduation, while less attention has been devoted to upgrading vocational and career education for those students who enter the workforce within two years of graduation; and

Whereas, the AFT supports efforts to make vocational and career education as academically rigorous as college preparatory courses, specifically by eliminating general track and low-level courses; and

Whereas, high-quality vocational programs must provide students with the same academic grounding in such core subjects as advanced mathematics, the sciences and writing skills that nonvocational students receive; and

Whereas, while more students than ever are completing high school, many students do not have the requisite academic and occupational skills to perform jobs that are highly technical or that lead to high-wage careers because they have not been exposed to the rigorous coursework that such careers require; and

Whereas, within the next 10 years the already burgeoning information technology field will experience attrition of nearly 250,000 jobs in computer programming, systems analysis, computer science and engineering; and

Whereas, there are currently efforts in Congress to change immigration laws to permit an influx of foreign workers to fill anticipated shortages in these fields; and

Whereas, this is a shortsighted strategy that would hurt American workers young and old who require solid education in high school or retraining for mid-career workers; and

Whereas, despite promising efforts under way in school-to-career, tech-prep and vocational education, educators lack critical tools to align their career preparation programs to employer needs. Unlike our strongest economic competitors abroad, this nation lacks a comprehensive system that identifies the academic, technical and employability skill standards students must meet to graduate and secure entry-level jobs and enjoy further career mobility:

Resolved, that AFT support the reauthorization of the National Skill Standards Board (NSSB), an organization comprising representatives of educators, employers, unions and community organizations, that is charged with identifying the academic, occupational and employability skills required for employment in various economic sectors; and

Resolved, that AFT encourage states to develop vocational education and other career preparation systems based on skill standards that align assessments, credentialing systems, curricula, professional development, instruction and counseling with these standards. Such systems should focus on developing a better fit between high school and postsecondary education and work; and

Resolved, that AFT advocate for policies that make high-quality vocational education and other standards-based career education programs integral to education reform and inform and assist members regarding how to develop such programs; and

Resolved, that AFT support policies to develop, improve and expand secondary and postsecondary programs that address academic and occupational skill needs in high-growth, high-skill occupations, such as those in technical and information technology fields; and

Resolved, that AFT oppose policies that would limit opportunities for American citizens to be educated and trained for jobs in high-growth, high-skill occupations, such as those in information technology fields; and

Resolved, that AFT advocate for policies that expand and improve professional development of teachers, including proven methods for integrating academic and vocational education and for appropriately incorporating technology into such instruction; and

Resolved, that AFT advocate for the development, evaluation and dissemination of information about reforms of demonstrated effectiveness that provide advanced academic and technical skills to students who enter the job market or postsecondary vocational training rather than immediately pursue a baccalaureate degree.