Background
Convincing
high school counselors and principals to recommend earning a two-year
associate degree as the best choice for some of their students
is a difficult task. For too long, educational culture has dictated
that every student must get a bachelors degree to be successful.
Many parents hold this same attitude. Faced with this important
decision, most students who plan to continue their education choose
the four-year option.
Increasingly,
new studies indicate a four-year degree is not the be-all, end-all
of previous years. Times have changed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
found that 45 percent of jobs were classified as skilled, requiring
some postsecondary education in 1991 – a figure that by
2005 increased to 62 percent. Professional roles saw a reverse
change – these positions accounted for 20 percent of jobs
in 1990, but in 2005 account for only 14 percent of jobs.
The New Workplace
Not every
student can afford public or private four-year colleges, and this
may prevent them from continuing their education. High school
counselors, principals, and superintendents must be shown what
a difference an associate degree can make to some of their students.
According
to the 2002 U.S. Department of Education report, Think College
Early, a full-time student at a public 4-year college pays an
average of $8,655 for in-state tuition, room and board, while
a full-time student in a public 2-year college pays an average
of $1,359 per year in tuition.
Finally, a
new report just released by Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children
(PPC), Preparing PA Youth for Success in a 21st Century Economy,
indicates that workers who earned two-year college degrees are
almost equally well prepared (74 percent) as those who received
four-year college degrees (75 percent) for positions in today’s
workplace.
A Solution
The Preparing
Youth for Success report also states “Many of the fastest
growing high-skill/high wage occupations are being filled with
what are called ‘gold collar’ workers. These workers
are resourceful problem solvers with job-appropriate training.
They are responsible for intermediate decision making and often
work in a dynamic environment.”
Eastman Chemical
Company and Texas State Technical College – Marshall collaborated
on a "Superintendent's Day" to educate pre-college educators
and facilitate recruitment efforts on their high school campuses.
The goal of this outreach is to show educators that technical
education has changed since the days when only certain students
were sent to vo-tech programs and that process technology, specifically,
is no longer a man’s career.
Superintendents
Day details
Initially,
superintendents from 11 local school districts were invited to
attend a meeting at Eastman Chemical Company. A letter
was sent requesting they bring the high school principal, senior
guidance counselor, and career and technology program director
with them to the meeting.
The
meeting agenda included:
- Welcome
and Presentation
- Panel discussion
with incumbent operations employees
- Discussion
of Partnership (questionnaire)
- Discussion of Articulation Agreements
- Tour of Eastman facilities to see high technology first hand
- Catered lunch
Misconceptions
about the PTEC career were explained to the attendees. They were
told that the process industries are genuinely interested in a
diverse workforce and shown how females are successful as process
technicians. Finally, the great pay and benefits offered to process
technicians was highlighted, and available job openings were discussed.
By conducting
this meeting, Eastman secured agreements allowing them to publicize
the PTEC program to students at each campus and begin an interview
selection process for summer intern positions.
Continuing
the Process
After educators
were informed at Superintendents Day and permissions were granted,
Eastman and TSTC began a phase of active recruiting to high school
students. Booths were set up in school cafeterias, speakers were
sent to classrooms, and field trips to plant sites were arranged.
More students were reached through open houses for parents and
kids. Science and Technology Preview (STeP) institutes were held
for male and female students in grades 10 through 12. (presentation)
This Fall,
Eastman will be assigning "High School Liaison Teams"
to several local high schools. The teams will be responsible for
"getting the word out" about process technology and
associated career fields and mentoring students who show an interest
in these fields. The result hoped for is a diverse and home-grown
pipeline of future employees.
According
to Oscar Polk from Eastman Chemical and Bobby Smith from TSTC,
their outreach activities are an ongoing process. They perceive
the under representation of females in the industry as a problem
that cannot be solved in a day. However, both strongly believe
that each action to improve this situation will provide a benefit
to all.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Think College Early: Average College Costs, U.S. Department
of Education, 2002. Available online at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/thinkcollege/early/parents/college_costs.htm
- Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, 2006. Available online
at http://www.papartnerships.org/resources.asp
- ibid
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