TECH PREP PROGRAM AT VO-TECH GETS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ON TRACK

A program at the Cape Girardeau Area Vocational-Technical School hopes to get high school students on the right track toward employment.

Called Tech Prep, the program has been in place for two years. Ray Walsh from Mineral Area College is coordinating the effort. He spoke at a breakfast Tuesday as part of the school's American Vocational Education Week.

Two years ago educators from Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Arcadia Valley and St. Francis County schools teamed up with Mineral Area College to form a Tech Prep program. The idea is to eliminate the general, undirected track for high school students, Walsh explained.

Students are guided onto an educational pathway, he said. It's "a four-year course with some sort of occupational direction."

High school students generally fall into one of three courses of study: college prep, vocational or general.

"On the general track students meet graduation requirements. They take the courses their girlfriends are taking and teachers with the least amount of homework," said Ray Walsh.

These students graduate but have no plan and few skills. "There is no place in society for that type of person," Walsh said.

"Far too many of our youth are not adequately prepared. Too many young people can't earn a living."

In 1950, 60 percent of the labor force was unskilled. Today the percentage has dropped to 15 to 20 percent.

The change is precipitated by a number of factors: international competition, wage disparity among countries, and advancements in computers and telecommunication.

Walsh said a new General Motors car requires only 25 to 35 manhours to manufacture. The rest of the work is done by robots.

At a St. Louis area Hardees restaurant, preparation of soft drinks is automated, and plans are under way to automate preparation of food items at other fast-food restaurants. "We don't even need the person at the cash register," Walsh said.

Banking has changed, especially with the advent of automatic teller machines.

"It takes a different type of person to build and maintain an ATM than to be a 1960s bank teller," Walsh said.

The result? "We need a work force with a higher level of training," Walsh said.

Tech Prep is designed to provide that training through emphasis on planning, basic educational skills and specialized training.

In addition, students may enter a "2 plus 2" program. Two years of high school followed by two years of training at Mineral Area Community College will net students an associate's degree.