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As Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito wind down their eight-year runs on Beacon Hill, they rarely receive formal recognition from the groups their administrations support.
Some will be superficially disciplined, while others will offer genuine appreciation for extended efforts.
The latter occurred last week when Baker and Polito accepted the Massachusetts Association of Professional Administrators Dr. David F. Cronin Award.
Named for a longtime public educator who has advanced the quality and standards of career-technical education in Massachusetts, the award “recognizes those who work tirelessly to improve career-technical education opportunities for students and who have worked tirelessly to improve the quality and standards of career-technical education in Massachusetts.” Cronin,” said a press release announcing the double honor.
MAVA Executive Director Steven Shark, who presented the award, said it was the association’s “heartfelt honor” to present the award to the Baker-Polito administration.
Baker spoke passionately about the impact of vocational-technical education on students, and emphasized the importance of experiential learning to education and the economy.
“Your work allows you to position yourself to capture and engage 21st-century students,” Baker said. “They’re doing work that I believe will be fundamental to the way we think about educating children and adults to move forward, so it’s something we’re very excited to support.”
Polito added that early in his administration, he saw the benefits of the hands-on learning that career-technical schools provide.
“Working with you has allowed us to understand exactly what you all have understood for many, many years, which is experiential and hands-on learning.”
Within months of assuming the corner office, Baker took concrete steps to support vocational education.
In the year In 2015, his administration brought together the secretaries of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development to formulate a strategy on how to meet employers’ needs for skilled workers.
From this, the Skills Capital Grant Program was created to help vocational high schools, community colleges and other educational institutions invest in modern training tools to benefit their students and current employees as they continue in their chosen careers. field or a specific field of study.
Skills capital grants cover a wide range of fields, from construction and engineering to healthcare and hospitality.
To date, this administration has awarded more than $102 million to 387 programs. Several regional technical high schools received aid in the 2022 fiscal year alone.
Greater Lowell Technical High School ($200,000), Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School ($150,000) and Nashoba Valley Technical High School ($250,000) received awards to strengthen the curriculum in special vocational areas.
This additional funding will pay off big time by creating well-paid opportunities for individuals with the unique skills needed in the 21st century economy.
As mentioned earlier, the legislature has also done its part to promote vocational education.
One example is the nearly $600,000 Career Technical Initiative grant Montchusett Regional recently received to support workforce training for the unemployed and underemployed.
The $599,970 award will allow the Fitchburg-based school to provide vocational training for adults in high-demand fields.
The money comes from state legislatures’ $22 million for Career Technical Initiative programs for regionally connected, career-focused education.
The need for skilled manpower and the need for placements in the state’s vocational schools has never been greater.
Let’s hope Baker’s successor recognizes the importance of prioritizing this important educational opportunity.
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