United States Education Secretary Miguel Cardona joined local leaders Tuesday at Hudson Valley Community College, promoting the Biden administration’s investments in high-tech training programs.
Cardona met with Democratic Congressman Paul Tonko and local educational leaders at HVCC’s Gene Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills in Troy. They say it’s a critical time for the U.S. to invest in technical career fields and education.
Leaders are focused on rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments to create jobs and build a clean-energy economy focused on combating climate change.
Cardona is a former high school principal and Connecticut State Education Commissioner. He says listening to local leaders, it’s clear that expanding resources to underserved communities is often an afterthought.
“When we invest in our schools and community colleges, we’re giving students opportunities to learn, how to, the skills needed for these high-skill, high-paying jobs that, you know, you can make six figures without having a four-year degree with out having tons of college debt,” Cardona said. “That’s what this invest in America process is.”
Cardona, who graduated from a technical high school, says allowing students access to programs like Questar III (quest-are three) and HVCC’s STEM High School — which allows them to earn college credits at no cost while completing high school — is key to building a technical workforce.
“This has to go beyond the technical high school, comprehensive high school have to create pathways to advanced manufacturing,” Cardona said. “We have to have public private partnerships where our school superintendents are taking walkthroughs through here and seeing that their students have an option to come here as well.”
The visit came on the heels of the announcement of a $42 billion broadband equity deployment program, with $670 million coming to New York to provide affordable, reliable high-speed internet throughout the state — seen as key to improving educational access and opportunity.
Cardona says understanding what students need to be successful is crucial.
“Whether that’s a group of students that maybe don’t know these options exist,” Cardona said. “Or that’s the underemployed adult that is looking for a change in their life or maybe they have kids already and they’re looking for something to upskill. I saw there was a very strong focus on that here and I’m proud of that.”
Tonko, a Democrat who represents the 20th District, says his focus is on neighborhoods.
“Making certain that parents, family, however it’s defined, that that nest that surrounds, that nurturing nest, that surrounds the student is connected and directed as are the students letting them know what are the possibilities out there, what are the potentials, what are your passions,” Tonko said. “You know your children, what would they like to do?”
SUNY Chancellor John King also attended the roundtable discussion and had a couple of requests for the secretary.
“Doubling Pell would make a huge difference for us and Pell being available for short-term workforce focus programs so that students can get that start that will then lead them into that pipeline,” King said.
Cardona said the American Rescue Plan Act and the CHIPS Act are focused on rebuilding the U.S. workforce.
“We’re proud that we’re now investing in America. We want things made in America,” Cardona said. “Our days of depending on others needs to end. We need to make the materials here and we need a workforce that can get that done.”
