Career Education: Alive and Well.

Overview & Synopsis

We cannot afford to continue letting 2.5 million young people leave formal education each year without a marketable skill or a career goal. Career education will take time and money, talent and commitment. While the Federal government can provide seed money for innovation and reform, the real thrust and the real money to implement career education must come from State and local commitment and resources. Education's success or failure in making career education an integral and worthwhile part of the learning process is some years away. The true test will come when the 62 million students in our elementary and secondary schools complete their formal education and start looking for jobs. By the end of the 1970's only one-fifth of the jobs will require a 4-year college degree. But most of these jobs will require training beyond high school. Blue collar jobs as we have known them are fast disappearing. Expanded instructional programs for career clusters are now being developed. More than 750,000 children are now participating in more than 100 career education pilot projects. Many State and local school districts are funding career education projects on their own initiatives. So it is clear that career education is indeed alive and well, both in the Office of Education and in the State and local communities. A related document is available as ED 073 307. (Author/MF)