NEW VO-TECH DIRECTOR: EDUCATION AT CROSSROADS

Vocational education must continue to change to keep pace with changes in the work force and education, says Harold Tilley, named Monday as new director of the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational Technical School.

"Vocational education is coming to a real crossroad," he said.

Tilley, who has worked at the vocational school for 16 years, continued, "We (in Cape Girardeau) are noted throughout the state as a quality educational facility."

That reputation, he said, is thanks to the work of the schools founding director, Gary Gilbert. Gilbert announced his retirement from the school system earlier this school year.

"Mr. Gilbert has done a fantastic job and I want to continue that," Tilley said.

Tilley began at the vocational school as a teacher of adult basic education, a program to help individuals who want to earn their high school equivalency or those wanting to improve their literacy skills.

Eight years ago, he was named coordinator of adult education at the school. Adult education includes adult basic education, long-term post-high school training programs, short-term adult education programs and customized training for area businesses.

District officials often point to customized training as a premier program at the school.

"I like to think we've taken it and helped it grow," Tilley said. "We've been able to help with numerous businesses in the community and I feel that we are meeting the training needs of our patrons."

Tilley said change looms on the horizon for vocational education.

"The vocational school originally started with the secondary students in mind," Tilley said. "But now the adult education is a large component of what we do.

"We have some new articulation agreements with junior colleges and colleges. Students can take what we do here and transfer it as college credit. We also have the Tech Prep program for high school students and the integration of academics into vocational education on a more formalized basis."

Tilley is also interested in creating internships for high school vocational programs, similar to the internships now available for adult students.

"Students would not only see the occupation from the classroom and lab works we have here, but also they would see what it's like out in the real world."

Similarly, he would like to establish apprenticeships for students to link up with certain trades early in their high school career.

"It will be to our benefit and to the benefit of students to do some better planning.

"Not everyone who graduates from high school goes on to college," Tilley said. "If those students graduate with no marketable job skills, what do they do?"

Tilley said the school is concerned about budget cuts at many area schools which pay to send students to the vocational facility. "With budget cuts, many school are cutting back. We will try to work with those schools on some creative kinds of ways of financing."

Tilley will officially begin his duties July 1.

Before coming to the vocational school, Tilley was a high school guidance counselor at Advance. He holds a masters degree in counseling and an undergraduate degree in French and social studies, all from Southeast Missouri State University. He is finishing his specialist degree in educational administration.

And Tilley said, he has taken many adult education and vocational classes, both formal training for his work and courses he took because he was interested.

"We are students all of our life," he said.