TALKING to YOUR KIDS ABOUT the PATH AHEAD What Do You Really Love to Do?
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TOUGH CONVERSATIONS TALKING TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT THE PATH AHEAD What do you really love to do? What gets you excited during Do you or after feel we’re school? too focused on college? You’re really smart. Why do you Do you think you understand all struggle the different in school? options out FLIP OVER there? FOR THE 2019/2020 • $7 STUDENT SECTION SUPPORTING SPONSOR PERIODICALS SUPPLEMENT TO STUFF19_ParentSection.indd 1 9/25/19 2:21 PM bhi 7x10:Layout 1 8/21/19 5:37 PM Page 1 Business Employee HR Insurance Benefits Consulting Safety Private Personal Consulting Client Insurance bhi365.com STUFF19_ParentSection.indd 2 9/6/19 3:20 PM WELCOME HIGHER ED HAS NEVER BEEN THE ONLY PATH TO MEANINGFUL CAREERS As a parent of school-age children, you need to be aware of key information that will help you guide your child to make the best choices for their future. Forbes says that there are more than 44 million borrowers who collectively owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt in the U.S. alone. Student loan debt is now the second highest consumer debt category — behind only mortgage debt — and higher than both credit cards and auto loans, Forbes said. That raises an important question: Is higher education the sole path toward a productive and meaningful career? Studies show that of the 55 million job openings created by 2020, only about 30% will require some college or a two-year associate degree. Meanwhile, momentum continues to build nationally regarding the value and importance of career and technical education for high school youth. In a past Wall Street Journal editorial, Peter Downs noted that apprenticeship programs in European countries now include commercial pilots, lawyers, engineers, and accountants and that these apprenticeships are considered the equivalent of a college education in terms of the quality of education they provide. Career and technical education plays a vital role in developing a well-educated and skilled workforce that will support American productivity and innovation through its emphasis on career and/or college readiness. As parents, you should embrace having your child select a career pathway in their high school, or choose to attend a vo-tech school. No matter what the choice, academics do and will always play a strong role in the development of your child. The bonus is having skills that make them employable for life. So, what do you need to know as a parent to be able to guide your child in discussing their future career opportunities? I will highlight some steps for you but also encourage you to take the time to sit with your child and read and discuss this publication together. To begin, you will read about the Delaware Pathways, a partnership that develops career pathways to high-growth, high-demand occupations for all high school students, not just the ones located in the six specialized career and technical high schools in the state. Delaware continues to be a model for other states to emulate because of the States expressed mission to provide all its young people the best opportunities for skill attainment to benefit from the evolving employment opportunities in our competitive global economy. What else? • Talk to your young children still in elementary why they selected those fields. school about career opportunities by pointing out • When considering post-secondary opportunities, observations about jobs when you are visiting don’t discount technology schools and other various places and, if you are not sure how to programs that can provide jobs upon completion of approach these types of conversations with your the training that might include those in the health child, talk to your child’s school guidance counselor careers, food industry, technology or the trades. or principal to get some ideas for conversation starters. Research shows that more than 70% of high school Expose your child to career opportunities through • graduates in career and technical programs pursue books. Take them to the library or to a bookstore postsecondary education, and four out of five earn and borrow or buy books about various careers. a credential or are still enrolled two years later. • Talk to your child’s middle school principal and/or Career and technical education today is not what counselor about what your district offers as career our grandparents or parents experienced in the past. pathways in the high school your child would attend. Today, programs are cutting-edge, rigorous and relevant, Discuss these possibilities with your child and providing instruction in core academic skills that are help them make a decision. necessary to support learning in all technical areas of • Visit the specialized career and technical high study. Don’t discount or devalue these possibilities but schools in your home county during their open embrace them as sound, practical and opportunistic houses to see the multitude of career programs choices for your child’s future success. offered. Have a conversation with your child about what you saw and what the choices might be. Victoria C. Gehrt, Ed.D, is the former Extend these conversations to talking about the superintendent of the New Castle County work your relatives or friends do and discuss Vocational Technical School District. DelawareBusinessTimes.com | STUFF P1 STUFF19_ParentSection.indd 1 9/6/19 3:21 PM A SUPPLEMENT TO Founded 2014 A biweekly newspaper serving Delaware’s business community. Copyright © 2019 by Today Media, all rights reserved. This newspaper or its trademarks may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invent without written permission from the Publisher. For licensing, reprints, e-prints, plaques, e-mail [email protected]. CEO/President Robert F. 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Martinelli Next generation Secretary-Treasurer Richard Martinelli P8 Work-based learning of technologists P16 In Memoriam matching kids with Chairman Angelo R. Martinelli (1927-2018) Advertising Information their futures [email protected] P11 Why the trades can 302.504.1276 be a great career Continuing education Subscription Information P19 DelawareBusinessTimes.com/Subscribe choice 800.849.8751 To submit press releases or story ideas [email protected] FOR STUDENTS: ON THE COVER: The other half of this publication Ruth Gilbert and Delaware Business Times is printed 16-times per year by Today Media, 3301 Lancaster Pike Suite 5C, breaks down the hottest jobs that Rodney Williams Wilmington, DE 19805 is available by subscription for don’t require a college degree in Photo by Luigi Ciuffetelli. $39 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Wilmington, DE and additional mailing offices. Single copy/back Delaware, a list of cool products issues are available at the cover price of $2 plus made and built in the state, and $2 shipping and handling. profiles of successful young Delaware Business Times cannot be responsible people working in the trades. for the return of unsolicited material with or without the inclusion of a stamped, self-address return envelope. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be SUPPORTING SPONSOR reliable, but the accuracy ad completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed. No information expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any securities. P2 STUFF | DelawareBusinessTimes.com STUFF19_ParentSection.indd 2 9/6/19 3:21 PM SUPPORTING SPONSOR M. Davis & Sons, Inc. M. Davis is an award-winning, fifth generation industrial construction company that builds, installs and services corporate and government facilities with engineering expertise and state-of-the-art technology. 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To the people who helped us behind the October 29th scenes put this issue of STUFF together issue of Peter Adebi Annemarie Linden Matt Amis Peter Lonie Jamie Arnold Ryan Marshall Melanie Augustin Andrew McKnight Christine Crooks Bryan Amanda Meade Cindy Campanella Cynthia Pritchard Ed Capodanno Luke Rhine Kathy Demarest Bryon Short Carolyn Evert Dan Shortridge Lori Ewald Jean Toman For Advertising Information: Vicki Gehrt Michele Tomlinson [email protected] Laurie Jacobs Mike Trego or 302.504.1276 Caroline Judge Lisa Wheeler Space Reservation Deadline: Oct. 15 Carrie Leishman Scott Wooters We apologize if we left anyone out. We got a lot of help! DelawareBusinessTimes.com | STUFF P3 STUFF19_ParentSection.indd 3 10/1/19 10:35 AM AS WORKFORCE AGES AND EXPANDS, SPOTLIGHT TURNS TO THE NEXT GENERATION BY MICHAEL BRADLEY Chris Baker.