WASHINGTON, DC (KELO-AM) The President of Lake Area Tech in Watertown was in Washington on Wednesday, testifying at Congressional hearings on ways to make tech schools more attractive.
Michael Cartney told the hearings, chaired by South Dakota Senator John Thune, that technical fields need a kind of face-lift to better appeal to kids who only think of college.
"They have an image of what they were 30, 40 years ago and so now we need to re-image these occupations because the manufacturing environment isn't what it was 30, 40 years ago," said Cartney, as he also urged the industry to increase the profile of the trades..
College isn't for everyone. Cartney testified that young people need to think about what they are good at before deciding which educational route to take. Cartney's comments are especially germane to South Dakota where workforce development is so important and where trade jobs are always available without enough people to fill them.
When Cartney speaks, people listen. Lake Area Tech recently won the 2017 Aspen Prize, the nation's top recognition for high achievement in America's community colleges.
Senator Thune pointed out to his committee members that 99 percent of Lake Area Tech students find jobs after graduation.