Show State Advisory Council Takes Position We VV-e SliPped In the January 7 issue of Points West we listed speaker o of the house Norm Bangerter as being involved in the Democratic Party Norm Bangerter Bangerter Bangerter Ban Ban- gerter is in fact a member of the Republican Party arty We apologize for this error Also The Rodeo Club Dance was listed as as being on Friday January 14 when the dance is actually actually actually actu actu- ally on Saturday January 15 The St State t Vocational Advisory Council has taken a position on Utah's two technical colleges becoming community colleges s thereby expanding expanding expanding expand expand- ing their general transfer education programs The Advisory Council is ts concerned that there are forces at work in both Ut Utah h and Salt Lake Counties to havethe havethe have havethe the technical colleges me meet t the junior college year two-year transfer needs of Brigham Young University and the University of Utah thus enabling these two institutions to emphasize and expand their upper division and graduate programs Th This s may appear attractive to some people in n our state but it is not going to meet the needs of ofa a majority of our students The Advisory Council is concerned that this expansion in the general education course offering will occur at the expense of of- vocational education education education tion especially the high high cost cost pro pro- g grams amSL The issue is primarily a financial o e v IT L. L fr n It Itc c m j re re mo money ta s t a ew y vocational i program iirth than n one l m in Ee general gen general gen gen- e er eral l education It costs much more to c open a new anew diesel section e tion than a anew new biology section As more and more students flock to the two technical colleges as they have been doing the past 10 years it will be much easier to channel and even counsel them into communications biology social studies studies studies stu stu- dies and other general education classes than to open up new sections or start new vocational programs With the it would take to open up a new mechanical electro-mechanical section at Provo for 15 students we could handle perhaps students i in general education classes Because j of these considerations the financial pressure are there to drift more and I more to general education at the j expense of vocational programs p. p especially r the v. v cost high ones Utah h has s a shortage of skilled craftsmen of the some people unemployed there are many skilled jobs th that t are not being filled inthe in inthe inthe the areas for which vocational education education education tion prep prepares res people The unemployed p people ople in general dont don't have the skills necessary to fill these jobs Inmany In Inmany Inmany many cases they do not have the opportunities to gain these skills Further as the economy im improves proves it is critical that we provide opportunities opportunities tuni ie for Utah Uta students to prepare for the skilled higher-skilled paying better-paying jobs as they become available It doesn't make sense for Utah employers employers em employers em- em to have to recruit out of state to fill their skilled jobs Utah's f future tu e industrial growth is directly related to our available pool of skilled technicians and arid craftsmen Jobs for Utah students in all areas will win be determined determine l by our out emphasis on vocational technical education The Advisory Council is a citizens citizens' group independent and separate from W th f S e v voT oais rM H g x o V ti i T cation ti although h ugh appointed pi oi d b by them The current 23 members include 1 12 from business industry and labor four from state government including including including ing Job Service and Industrial Development four from education edu-cation and three f from m the general public including the state PT PTA A president The Advisory Council has acted as a resource to the state providing an ap independent objective perspective on what is in the manpower area in general and in the vocational education area specifically Recognizing Recognizing Recognizing that most approximately 80 O percent of the jobs in the future will require vocation-type vocation preparation the Advisory Council has constantly encouraged a reallocation of education education tion funds so as to improve vocational training opportunities for Utah students |