To read the full research behind this op-ed, visit our 2024 Hatfield Prize page here.
My shirt is soaked with sweat after a long day framing on a residential construction crew in the sweltering Western Kentucky summer. I glance back on the day’s work, the house’s wooden exterior taking shape, before hopping into my truck. I think about how this journey began five years ago when I took a carpentry class at my high school’s vocational center. That class turned into another, and then another. Before I knew it, I was cutting boards and hammering nails the summer before attending Baylor University to study mechanical engineering. The Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at my high school was character-shaping for me, and it gave some of my friends, many of whom didn’t want to go to college, opportunities to pursue work or an apprenticeship right after graduation.
Career and Technical Education programs offer courses for high school students across the country to earn industry certificates and credentials. This prepares them for immediate entrance into the workforce or a variety of postsecondary programs. While CTE pathways differ at every school, course offerings can include health science, manufacturing, construction technology, engineering technology, and much more. CTE provided a pathway to my first job after high school and left me with a lifelong skill in an industry with a high demand for skilled workers but also a lack of trained professionals. The need for vocational training for the next generation of workers has never been higher.
The need for vocational training for the next generation of workers has never been higher.
My initial introduction to CTE spurred my curiosity about the state of workforce development programs in Waco, TX. I wondered if Waco offered the same kinds of workforce education opportunities that were available back home in Kentucky. When Dr. Colby Humphrey, a political science lecturer at Baylor University, and I began a semester-long research project in January, we sought to analyze Waco’s workforce development infrastructure through a threefold approach.
First, we analyzed the entire network of workforce programs offered in the community by a variety of organizations. Next, we determined the extent to which the current services were meeting the needs of Wacoans. Finally, we proposed an alternative method of understanding work that alters how we conduct workforce development, offering concrete and actionable suggestions to improve Waco’s workforce development programs.
Our collaboration is part of the Hatfield Prize Reports and in coordination with the Center for Public Justice. Based on my past experience, I wanted to use the opportunity provided by CPJ to assess the support, funding, and effectiveness of workforce development programs by local governments, nonprofits, businesses, and education institutions in the area. Workforce development is a step toward ensuring quality pay and a better life for all Wacoans, and Career and Technical Education serves an essential role in developing Waco’s workforce. By supporting CTE’s funding and expansion across the education system, high school, and beyond, Waco ensures that everyone, no matter their income or background, has access to life-changing opportunities.
This approach not only fills a direct need in the community but also addresses a core problem many of the workforce development programs in Waco have: awareness and attendance. A recent report sponsored by multiple chambers of commerce across the state found that 54% of Texas jobs are “middle-skill,” meaning they require more education than a high school degree but less than a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, only 45% of Texans are trained in those jobs, meaning that there are 1.4 million job openings that require some middle-skill credentialing. The gap between job openings and people with the requisite skills to fill them only grows with each passing year, increasing the demand for skilled workers and, likewise, our responsibility to help students fill and hold these jobs.
In our conversations with stakeholders across the community, we found a wealth of workforce development organizations with a variety of programming. Local governments, nonprofits, educational institutions, and religious organizations across the city recognize the need in our backyard and have built infrastructure to support increasing the skills and training of Waco’s workforce. However, many organizations told us about their difficulties in raising community awareness. Too often, high school students in Waco, if they graduate, receive their diploma without attending any type of postsecondary education or even entering the workforce. As time progresses, these former students become further removed from the support ecosystem that’s in their community. The problem is not just underprivileged youth slipping through the cracks, but the isolation from workforce training resources these youth, now adults, currently experience.
The problem is not just underprivileged youth slipping through the cracks, but the isolation from workforce training resources these youth, now adults, currently experience.
The communication problem compounds as the people in dire need of retraining and upskilling are often the most disconnected from the services that can improve their livelihoods. Access to the internet, cellphones, television, or social media is not a guarantee, so modern modes of marketing and communication prove less effective. There is a wide swatch of underprivileged youth that tend to be disconnected from secondary education and the workforce after graduation. The public education system and the nonprofit ecosystem can help bridge that gap for those students.
We are pleased to note that plans of this nature are already underway, as TSTC (Texas State Technical College) has formed partnerships with local high schools to promote CTE programs and encourage students to earn certifications after college. Similarly, the Waco Chamber of Commerce, in the fall of 2023, rolled out the Leadership, Education, and Development (LEAD) program that pairs a community mentor with several high school students, encouraging them along their journey and offering advice and support during one of the most pivotal times in their lives. The value of personal relationships between students and mentors is incalculable and is a step in the right direction. But the work is far from over.
In our report, we recommend that civil society and local government increase their advocacy and awareness for CTE programs in schools as a viable, worthwhile alternative to a four-year college. We hope to see the LEAD program and others like it continue succeeding, scaling, and expanding. Programs like these have proved especially impactful for teenagers who cannot rely on a support system at home to provide safety and encouragement. This is not to say we should abandon the admirable goal of encouraging students to attend four-year colleges, but rather argue that students should be aware of their options. Mechanics, plumbers, electricians, nurses, carpenters, and many more CTE jobs serve essential functions in our community, and we simply don’t have enough of them.
The problem lies not only in worker scarcity but also in a lack of people who see CTE education as a viable option for their future. Attending a four year university doesn’t have to be the mandated next step after high school. I say that as someone who is currently in four-year college but who also understands the value of learning a trade and becoming a skilled craftsman. Not only is it a rewarding and fulfilling experience, but it’s a pathway toward a stable and well-paying job. Vocational education often takes less time and costs less than a four year degree, making it a viable alternative for anyone considering post-high school plans different from a four-year college.
his is not to say we should abandon the admirable goal of encouraging students to attend four-year colleges, but rather argue that students should be aware of their options.
CTE education also directly impacts students’ economic opportunities and the strength of a city’s economy. According to a Department of Education report, 94% of students who had CTE concentrations graduated high school, while their non-CTE peers had an 8% lower graduation rate. The report also found CTE students have a 5% higher employment rate eight years after graduation than those who were not in CTE programs. Additionally, those in CTE programs have higher median incomes eight years after graduation. These programs not only provide advantages for their students, but they also boost the community’s economy by providing necessary services. Each of Waco’s top five fastest growing occupations from 2018–2023 are jobs where certification and training in CTE pathways can begin in high school.
CTE education and certification are only part of a broader strategy that we outline in our report aimed at bettering Waco’s workforce development strategy. We view workforce development as a vital piece in building a better Waco for all, prioritizing individual empowerment so everyone can reach their full potential, becoming self-sufficient, and contributing to the community in their own right.
Throughout this project, I have interviewed and met various folks from different backgrounds, each with a unique life story. Still, every one of them brimmed with pride about the place they call home. There are hundreds of children and teenagers brimming with opportunity and potential waiting to be released, just as there are hundreds of community leaders and everyday citizens ready to release it. Waco requires the public’s support and awareness to finish the task before us.
Jackson Boone, a native of Calvert City, Kentucky, is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at Baylor University in Waco Texas. He is a William Carey Crane Scholar and a Baylor Engaged Fellow, both programs which seek to understand how faith shapes learning and civic engagement. His small town background and previous experience as a residential carpenter has shaped his interest in workforce development efforts.
Colby Humphrey is Lecturer at Baylor University, where his teaching surrounds American government and public policy. His current research focuses on infrastructure challenges and the role of federalism in addressing such issues, particularly related to broadband and telecommunications infrastructure. Humphrey received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University, a master’s in public service administration from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in government from the University of Texas at Austin.
