Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin HuffmanWith about half the population hitting their mid-20s without proper job skills, Tennessee high school students could be provided with better technical and career course work, officials said Friday.
“I think we have a real need to revamp some of the course offerings and an opportunity to do that with the encouragement of the business sector,” said Kevin Huffman, state commissioner of education.
More than 50 Tennessee government, business and education leaders met in Chattanooga in what was billed as a “career-ready summit” to align education and business priorities and enhance the workforce.
Robert Schwartz, academic dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said students increasingly have received the message that the only way to secure a future is to get some form of post-secondary education and even a four-year degree.
But only about 30 percent of people earn their four-year degrees by age 25, another 10 percent get a two-year associate degree while about 10 percent attain a post-secondary certificate, he said.