High School Students Honored As Pacesetters
Some 30,000 jobs in Washington state now go unfilled for lack of qualified and trained applicants, according to the chair of the state work force training board.
The number of opportunities was welcome news for about 150 area high school students honored Monday by the Pathways career preparation program.
The students, mostly from Spokane high schools, were honored following a Rotary-North luncheon at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park. The Pathways program offers students technical training and on-the-job experience. Pacesetter awards recognize career preparation efforts and completion of 75 hours of community service and work experience.
Betty Jane Narver, who heads Washington state’s Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, told the students the unfilled jobs will go elsewhere, or some companies may go out of business because they can’t find enough trained workers.
“Our technology-driven economy means a new set of skills are necessary (for today’s workplace),” Narver said. “We can’t afford to lose any worker, any young person, as we face a shortage of skilled workers.”
Narver also is director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Public Policy and Management. She said education reform has imposed “more rigorous standards” in recent years, “but it’s not enough just to have more rigorous standards. It’s important from the first days of school to understand how to apply what you learn to the world or work.”
She added that from “the first day of kindergarten,” youngsters can see how adults work and can apply that knowledge. “You can’t wait until junior high or high school to tack on vocational education,” Narver said.
Steve Dahlstrom, chief executive officer of Spokane Teachers Credit Union, which sponsored the Pacesetter recognition, said the number of students honored in the 5-year-old program has grown from 20 the first year to 150 this year.
“This just shows that the spirit of success and achievement is spreading through Spokane,” Dahlstrom said.