Section 344.055 - Policy on career and technical education and employment trainingIt shall be the policy on career and technical education and employment training in this state that:
(1) Accessibility to career and technical education programs should be facilitated. Individuals should have a choice of training opportunities for which they are qualified and from which they can benefit. Such opportunities should be available from school districts, community colleges, federal and state workforce training programs, private career and technical education schools, apprenticeship programs and institutions of higher education. The student should have easy access to training with the flexibility to move in and out of programs as needs indicate. Opportunities should be available for all individuals to obtain the skills and knowledge needed for initial employment as well as for occupational upgrading and job changes.(2) State and local planning and program operations should be coordinated to provide the most efficient use of federal, state, local and private resources.(3) A comprehensive system of education and employment training should be developed. Secondary schools should provide an educational program that balances the educational skills of reading, writing, speaking, computation and reasoning ability, occupational skills including technical knowledge, manipulative ability and other skills required to perform job tasks and employment skills such as job seeking, work attitude, work adjustment and job-coping abilities. Community colleges should provide comprehensive programs in both academic and career and technical education subjects. In addition, community colleges should provide short-term training designed for specific occupations, related training for apprenticeships and opportunities for employed persons to improve their skills. Other providers of employment training should complement this effort with programs aimed at specific job training.(4) Full working partnerships among education, business, industry, labor, government and agriculture should be developed to meet employer needs for a skilled workforce and to promote employee job satisfaction. Such partnerships should be fostered by promoting efforts such as work site training stations, lending or donating of equipment to training programs, employee-teacher exchange programs, advisory committees and cooperative work experience programs. All segments of the community should be encouraged to assist in career and technical education.(5) Federal, state, local and private funding resources should be combined to ensure the development and implementation of quality programs. Both the governmental and private sectors should make a commitment to career and technical education as an investment that will help bring about economic development and stability as well as high social and financial returns. Improvement of existing training programs, as opposed to development of duplicative or parallel efforts, should be utilized to promote flexibility and economy in the design and delivery of career and technical education.(6) High quality career and technical education requires an adequate supply of well prepared teachers and support personnel. Provisions should be made for the formal preparation of teachers and for the recruitment of teachers from business and industry. Programs should be designed and implemented to ensure that teachers remain current in their areas of expertise, and instructors should be encouraged to return to business and industry to gain additional experience in their fields. To promote retention of qualified personnel, institutions preparing and licensing teachers and agencies employing teachers should allow credit for relevant career and technical education experiences.(7) Career and technical education programs and other employment training programs should be developed, operated and evaluated jointly with representatives of the career and technical education instructional areas included in the programs. Evaluation of efforts should consider the cost effectiveness of the program both for society and the state.(8) Each student's academic, career and technical education and employment skills should be assessed upon entering so that proper placement in the educational program can occur. Credit should be given for prior education, work experience and community service. Assessments to determine progress, competency attainment and needed corrective action should be made on a periodic basis. Assistance in obtaining employment and follow-through services to help students succeed on the job should be provided.(9) Provisions should be made to meet the needs of women, minorities, disadvantaged or persons with disabilities and others who have special training needs. Special curricula, facilities, equipment, counseling and instruction should be provided as necessary. The agencies and institutions serving these groups should coordinate use of the available resources to provide cost effective services.(10) Career and technical education provides the learning experience needed to make effective career choices and to develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills that enable persons to perform successfully in the producer role and to assist them in other related life roles. It progresses through the steps of awareness and exploration of work, preparation for a broad range of occupations and specialization in a specific occupation.(11) Career and technical education is taught at the secondary school level, in post-secondary career and technical education institutions, community colleges and apprenticeship programs and may continue through skill upgrading or retraining for a new career.1981 c.756 §1; 1993 c.45 §243; 2005 c. 22, § 238; 2009 c. 94, § 16