First Lady Jill Biden was at BETA Technologies in South Burlington, Vermont on Wednesday as part of her Investing in America tour. What drew her to the emerging aerospace company was its workforce and youth internship programs across the region.
The First Lady’s plane arrived as a light drizzle fell. She and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona immediately walked across the tarmac into BETA Technologies’ headquarters.
The aerospace company formed in 2017 to produce zero-emission electric aircraft.
The First Lady’s visit was the last of a four-state “Investing In America” tour highlighting career and workforce training and how that integrates with the Biden administration’s Education Pathway initiatives.
After a private meeting with BETA Technologies and state officials, Dr. Biden emerged and spoke with Phoebe Peckham, one of the interns at the company.
“I started at the beginning of this year here. I love it. We build to scale demos for how everything works in the aircraft and then we actually bring them to classrooms and places to teach people about electrification.”
“How did you find out the programs?” asks the First Lady.
“I’ve known Kyle (Kyle Clark, BETA founder) for many years, “replies Peckham. “I actually grew up down the street from his house!”
Biden spoke with other students before joining state and local officials at a podium at the opposite side of the hangar to talk about the importance of the trades and workforce training.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat, noted that the high school is planning a new technical center at the airport.
“One of the reasons that we’re so excited to do that is to reduce the barriers to young Vermonters being able to be directly engaged in these exciting industries and the jobs of tomorrow. You know, sometimes there’s a stigma around tech ed. I think this is going to be the coolist place to be in the years ahead.”
Education Secretary Cardona highlighted the theme of the trip: Investing in America. He told the crowd that traditional education has been a bystander to economic development, leading to hundreds of thousands of high schoolers to graduate each year with no pathway to successful careers.
“When we invest in helping our students learn skills that will help them get great careers in the future; when we invest in giving our young people more opportunities for hands on learning that shows them new possibilities for their lives and the lives of their loved ones; we invest in America. That’s never been more important. And I always say there’s a tsunami of well-paying jobs coming and we need to make sure this generation of students is prepared to ride that wave.”
Vermont Governor Phil Scott often reminisces about being caught between college prep and vocational classes. The Republican said it’s important to make smart investments for students, workers and communities.
“I think we’ve all experienced just how important the trades are especially when our car breaks down, have an electrical problem or a water heater leak. And there’s no denying how important they are to our future especially when you consider the role they’ll play in energy, telecom and our overall economy. So here’s the point I’m trying to make: everyone from teachers and guidance counselors to parents and policy makers needs to make a real effort to end the stigma around CTE (Career and Technical Education) and trades training. Because these are great careers that present endless possibilities for talented and hard-working kids.”
The First Lady talked about how the Biden Education Pathway initiative can help provide options.
“For most people a high school diploma alone isn’t enough to find a great career. But they don’t often need a four-year degree to pursue their passions either. Millions of new jobs in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing are being created. These positions pay well. And many of them require Associate’s Degrees, certificates and other hands-on instruction and not four-year colleges. Still, as I heard today, a lot of high school students don’t necessarily know how to get from earning their diplomas to earning a living.”
Biden added that efforts in Vermont like the internships and educational outreach at BETA Technologies reflect the future of the workforce and the economy.
“The students who are with us today are learning what it takes to design airplanes and maintain electric vehicles. They’re exploring jobs that didn’t even exist when many of us were in high school. With dual enrollments, shadowing programs and paid internships high school students are getting experience and credentials that will give them a jump start on college or a career.”
Biden noted her husband is making community college and career-connected learning top priorities in his budget proposal. She noted the Department of Labor had just announced an $80 million grant competitionto support innovative training programs for jobs being created under the Investing in America initiative.
