Mar. 04, 2015
New education panel ready to get to work
HARRISBURG – The House of Representatives yesterday voted to approve
House Resolution 102, which authorizes the creation of the Select Subcommittee on Technical Education and Career Readiness, said House Education Committee chairman Stan Saylor (R-York), who sponsored the measure, and Democratic Chairman James Roebuck (D-Philadelphia), who co-sponsored it.
The new panel aims to refocus Pennsylvania’s secondary and post-secondary education on career training to match graduates with the existing good-paying jobs that are available in Pennsylvania. Among the select subcommittee’s tasks will be to investigate existing science, technical, engineering and mathematics (STEM) schools and vocational-technical programs and develop proposals to promote career pathways to meet existing employment needs.
“There are a lot of good-paying jobs in Pennsylvania which aren't being filled by residents when they could be,” Saylor said. “One of the reasons for this new select subcommittee came out of a meeting I had with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter who was concerned that there were about 31,000 good-paying tech jobs in the city which weren’t being filled by city residents. We need to change that, and I believe this new panel can help lead the way.”
Saylor has named Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) as the chairman of the select committee: Republican members appointed to the select subcommittee are Reps. Harry Lewis (R- Chester), Kathy Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), and Mike Tobash (R-Schuylkill/Dauphin).
“We need to help students discover the options that exist outside of a four-year traditional college environment,” Grove said. “I am looking forward to talking with employers and those in the education community about these in-demand careers for students. In a world that runs on technology, it is unbelievable that so many of these technical positions are going unfilled.”
Roebuck has named Rep. Pat Harkins (D-Erie) as the co-chairman, and Rep. Gerald Mullery (D-Luzerne) as a select subcommittee member.
"I believe this select subcommittee can lead to recommendations to increase and improve the relationships between high schools, career and tech centers and our higher education institutions in building stronger partnerships and bridges between basic and higher education for the benefits of our students and our economy," Roebuck said.
Saylor and Roebuck will each also serve as ex-officio members of the select subcommittee.
Representative Stan Saylor
94th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
717.260.6443
clardner@pahousegop.com
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