Shining a light on Baker-Polito voc-tech focus

As Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito begin to wind down their eight-year run on Beacon Hill, they’ll occasionally receive formal accolades from groups their administration has supported.

Some will be superficially ceremonial, while others will offer genuine thanks for the efforts extended.

The latter occurred last week, when Baker and Polito received the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators’ Dr. David F. Cronin Award.

Named for the longtime state educator who advanced the quality and standards of vocational-technical education in Massachusetts, the award recognizes those that “work tirelessly to improve vocational-technical education opportunities for students and who represent the highest standards of integrity as exemplified by Dr. Cronin,” the press release announcing the dual honor stated.

MAVA Executive Director Steven Sharek, who presented the award, said it was the association’s “sincere honor” to bestow it on the Baker-Polito administration.

Baker spoke enthusiastically about the impact vocational-technical education can have on students, and stressed the importance of experiential-based learning on education and the economy.

“The work you are doing has allowed you to position yourselves to grab the attention of and engage the students of the 21st century in an extraordinary way,” Baker said. ”It’s something we’ve been thrilled to support, because you are all doing stuff that I believe will be fundamental to the way we think about educating kids and young adults going forward deep into the future.”

Polito added that early on the administration saw the benefits of the experiential-based education that vocational-technical schools offer.

“Working with you has allowed us to really understand what you all have understood for many, many years, which is what experiential and hands-on learning is all about.”

Just months after assuming the corner office, Baker took concrete steps to cement support for vocational education.

In 2015, his administration created the Workforce Skills Cabinet, which brought together the secretaries of Education, Labor and Workforce Development, and Housing and Economic Development to form a strategy on how to meet employers’ demand for skilled workers.

From that came the formation of the Skills Capital Grant program, which helps vocational high schools, community colleges and other educational institutions invest in the most up-to-date training equipment to give their students and current workers an advantage when they continue in their chosen field or particular area of study.

The Skills Capital Grants cover a broad array of fields, from construction and engineering to health care and hospitality.

To date, this administration has awarded more than $102 million to 387 programs. Several area regional technical high schools received grants in fiscal 2022 alone.

Greater Lowell Technical High School ($200,000), Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School ($150,000), and Nashoba Valley Technical High School ($250,000) received awards to bolster curriculum in particular fields of vocational education.

This additional funding pays for itself many times over by creating well-paying opportunities for individuals with the specialized skills required in the 21st-century economy.

As previously mentioned, the Legislature also has done its part to foster vocational education.

One example, the nearly $600,000 Career Technical Initiative grant Montachusett Regional recently received to fund workforce training for the unemployed and underemployed.

The $599,970 award will allow the Fitchburg-based school to further provide adults with career training and placement in high-demand fields.

The money came from state lawmakers’ $22 million allocation to Career Technical Initiative programs for regionally aligned, career-focused education.

The need for skilled labor and the demand for placement in the state’s vocational schools has never been greater.

Let’s hope Baker’s successor also realizes the need to prioritize this essential education opportunity.