In a hearing that examined the President’s FY09 Education Budget, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson pressed Department of Education Secretary, Margaret Spellings, for answers to difficult challenges our nation faces, including the need for more vocational programs. 

Simpson is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and he is also a member of the Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus.

Simpson focused on the growing need for a technical workforce, “The energy sector, from the Idaho National Lab to leading energy and nuclear energy companies, are consistently telling me the same thing, ‘We have a serious workforce shortage in vocational and technical fields.’  Some nuclear companies are now setting up their own training schools to train students for careers in these high-demand fields.  While we all recognize the importance of going to college, a traditional four-year bachelor’s degree may not be the best fit for all of our nation’s youth.  The median salary for an electrical or mechanical technician working for a nuclear plant is over $60,000—which is a great salary in my hometown.  At the same time, while demand for this training continues to increase, the President’s budget request has zeroed out funding for the Career and Technical Education which helps to fund the development of vocational and technical programs. I am concerned that this proposed budget cut will create a serious gap in our workforce.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projects, eight out of the top ten occupations with the largest job growth through 2014 will require an associate’s degree or vocational training. The Career and Technical Education Programs include training in math, science and economics that will help prepare students for all 20 of the fastest growing occupations identified in the U.S. And the National Association of Manufacturers report that over 80% of respondents are experiencing significant shortages of skilled workers.

Simpson also raised a number of other concerns with the President’s proposed education budget.  He also asked the Secretary to think about how our nation is going to handle our shrinking teacher workforce as teachers are retiring faster than they are being replaced. “Quality teachers are critical to ensuring a quality education.  We need to ensure that as our teachers are retiring, we are working to hire well-qualified teachers to replace them.”

The Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee will soon begin consideration of the DOE’s budget for fiscal year 2009.