NJ Spotlight published the following article on 2/21/2014. To read the full article, click here.

Business Coalition Calls Vo-Tech Schools Crucial to NJ’s Future

John Mooney | February 21, 2014

New Jersey’s vocational and technical schools got a big boost yesterday when a new coalition of more than 100 businesses said the schools should get the support — and funding – they need to keep preparing students for the workforce of the future.

Led by the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, representatives of the New Jersey Employer Coalition for Technical Education gathered for a Statehouse press conference and pledged to promote the importance of the county-run schools as they vie for their share of resources in a state with an abundance of educational needs.

“The bottom line is jobs are going unfilled in New Jersey because employers cannot find workers with the right skills,” said Melanie Willoughby, senior vice president of the NJBIA.

The business group’s expression of support for vo-tech schools comes at a time when the state’s funding for public education continues to stagnate, if not shrink, while a wide range of public schools vie for help. It also comes as the county schools – some of which now dominate the list of the state’s highest-performing schools — continue to shift to more career-oriented and advanced programs.

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