How Technical Schools Are Handling Reduced In-Person Learning

Summary

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WSJ Your Money Briefing

Episode Summary: How Technical Schools Are Handling Reduced In-Person Learning

Date: February 3, 2021
Host: J.R. Whelan (Wall Street Journal)
Guests: Anne Michaud (WSJ Reporter), Sheila Harrity (Superintendent, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores how technical and vocational schools across the U.S. are adjusting to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly the shift to remote learning. The discussion highlights the necessity of hands-on education for fields such as welding, plumbing, cosmetology, and the innovative solutions implemented to ensure students continue to learn practical skills. It features insights from Wall Street Journal reporter Anne Michaud and Sheila Harrity, superintendent of a leading vocational school in Massachusetts.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Pandemic Disruptions in Vocational Education

• Hands-On Learning Challenge:
  Many technical and vocational programs require in-person instruction and hands-on experience, making a full switch to remote learning difficult.
• Expanded Program Offerings:
  Schools have broadened beyond traditional trades to include IT, cybersecurity, healthcare, and STEM fields.

  "Right now there's a lot of emphasis on IT, cybersecurity, healthcare and STEM fields, in addition to the manufacturing and automotive, which has sort of been the traditional backbone of the system."
  — Anne Michaud [02:41]

2. Impact on Students and Workforce Pipeline

• Learning Loss and Employment:
  Students set to graduate face significant learning loss and lost time, which may hinder pathways to jobs and further education.

  "There's going to be a lot of learning loss and lost time for students who are graduating this year. And... businesses are going to find a little bit of trouble hiring, I would imagine."
  — Anne Michaud [00:52], [03:08]

• Industry Response:
  Some trade unions have been approached to relax apprenticeship requirements temporarily, helping students stay on track.

  "[The superintendent] was talking with some of the unions to get them to relax their apprenticeship rules so that…they would take some of these kids who aren't getting the hands on, say, in construction or electrical right now."
  — Anne Michaud [03:08]

3. School-Level Adaptations: Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School

• Chromebook Initiative and Hybrid Model:
  Monty Tech already had one-to-one Chromebooks for students, enabling a quick shift to remote academics. However, the need for hands-on learning required a hybrid schedule:

  • Half the students in shops, half in academics, alternating weekly.
  • Shop (in-person): 3 days/week; Academics (in-person): 2 days/week.
  • Other days completed remotely.

  "It's really hard to teach plumbing and electrical skills without actually having the hands on application that the school would provide."
  — Sheila Harrity [04:15] "So if you were in shop, you'd be in person three days a week, and in your academics, you would be in two days a week. And the other days, you would receive your education remotely."
  — Sheila Harrity [05:32]

• Hands-On Learning at Home (Cosmetology Example):
  Students were given "hair kits" with mannequins and tools to enable meaningful practice at home during remote sessions.

  "When the teacher is doing instruction via zoom and doing the demonstrations… the students actually have their mannequins home with them as they're following along with the teacher."
  — Sheila Harrity [06:25]

4. Coordination with Trade Boards and Unions

• Maintaining Certification Standards:
  Vocational directors worked closely with trade boards to ensure students' skills, theory time, and shop hours were carefully documented, maintaining apprenticeship and certification progress.

  "They're documenting the number of hours in the shop,... their skill performance,... their related theory time so that everything is accounted for. And they're working directly with the boards to ensure that this workforce pipeline does not see a massive gap."
  — Sheila Harrity [07:25]

• The Essential Role of Educators:
  Teachers pushed to return to safe, in-person instruction to protect students' futures and workforce readiness.

  "We are a cog in the wheel of workforce development and it is essential that we continue the work that we're doing even through our COVID pandemic... the only way we're going to recover from this pandemic is to make sure that we have the workforce necessary to help us recover."
  — Sheila Harrity [08:45]

5. Attracting the Next Generation of Students

• Career Pathways and Student Recruitment:
  Vocational schools are stressing the financial benefits and career opportunities to attract students as early as 8th grade, especially for those seeking alternatives to four-year college degrees.
  • Example: South Texas "Innovation Zone" school districts highlighting potential earnings for associate’s degree holders ($65,000-$85,000 for welders).

  "There's one school, Innovation Zone in South Texas...they're going around to eighth grades this year and speaking to the students about the various degree programs...For example, with an associate's degree as a welder, a student could make $65,000 to $85,000 a year."
  — Anne Michaud [10:03]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the reality of remote hands-on instruction:

  "It's pretty hard to use your pots and pans from your kitchen to show the students how to wire a home and so forth."
  — Sheila Harrity [04:39]

• On ensuring workforce pipeline continuity:

  "Because, as you know, a lot of the data showing that there's an aging population in these fields, and we want to make sure that we continue to bring up the next generation of electricians and plumbers."
  — Sheila Harrity [07:25]

• On educator commitment:

  "I really need to credit our teachers because they were adamant that we needed to get back to school in the most safest fashion, knowing that they needed this, the students needed this hands on experience."
  — Sheila Harrity [08:45]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Expanding Vocational Program Focus: 02:41
• Pandemic Disruption and Impacts on Students/Businesses: 03:08
• Monty Tech’s Hybrid Model and Hands-On Challenges: 04:15 – 06:25
• Cosmetology Department Adaptations: 06:25
• Coordination with Unions and Trade Boards: 07:25
• Role of Teachers and Workforce Development: 08:45
• Recruiting Next Generation Students: 10:03

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Conclusion

This episode provides a practical, inside look at how technical schools are navigating Covid-imposed challenges, highlighting both difficulties (lost hands-on time, certification pipeline risks) and successes (creative schedules, strong educator commitment, partnerships with trade authorities). The focus on recruiting and preparing students for meaningful, well-paying jobs remains at the forefront, ensuring that vocational education continues as a critical pillar of workforce development despite the pandemic.

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Transcript

[Podcast Sponsor/Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Charles Schwab. Decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day, but what policy changes should investors be watching? Washington Wise is an original podcast from Charles Schwab that unpacks the stories making news in Washington right now and how they may affect your finances and portfolio. [e-mail] WashingtonWise.

[J.R. Whelan]

Here's your money briefing for Wednesday, February 3rd. I'm J.R. whalen for the Wall Street Journal. Many school districts have shifted to remote learning during the pandemic, but that's not so easy for the nation's technical and vocational schools where getting certified in fields like welding, plumbing and cosmetology requires hands on experience that can't always be done at home.

[Anne Michaud]

There's going to be a lot of learning loss and lost time for students who are graduating this year. And even down the pipeline trying to get into maybe an associate's program at a community college, businesses are going to find a little bit of trouble hiring. I would imagine these programs have had

[J.R. Whelan]

to do a lot of improvising to ensure that students paths to a good paying career aren't derailed. Coming up, our reporter Anne Michaud will discuss the challenges they're facing and and we'll talk with the superintendent of one technical school about how they're responding. That's after the break.

[Podcast Sponsor/Announcer]

This episode is brought to you by Charles Schwab. Decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day, but what policy changes should investors be watching? Washington Wise is an original podcast from Charles Schwab that unpacks the stories making news in Washington right now and how they may affect your finances and portfolio. [e-mail] WashingtonWise.

[J.R. Whelan]

Vocational and technical schools offer hands on coursework to ensure that students have a path to a well paying job. But those programs have had to adapt to a lot in recent years and especially during the pandemic. In a moment, we'll be speaking with Sheila Harrity from the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Massachusetts. But first, we're joined by our reporter Anne Michaud. She's been looking into the challenges the schools are facing. Ann, thanks for being with us. Thank you, J.R. so we often picture technical and vocational schools teaching things like manufacturing, cosmetology, construction. How have these programs expanded recently to help train students for modern jobs?

[Anne Michaud]

Right now there's a lot of emphasis on IT, cybersecurity, healthcare and STEM fields, in addition to the manufacturing and automotive, which has sort of been the traditional backbone of the system.

[J.R. Whelan]

And then there's the more immediate disruption from the pandemic. When we look further down the line beyond the students in the schools and we look at the businesses that will be hiring these students, how does this disruption affect them?

[Anne Michaud]

Well, I think that there's going to be a lot of learning loss and lost time for students who are graduating this year and even down the pipeline trying to get into maybe an associate's program at a community college, businesses are going to find a little bit of trouble hiring, I would imagine. I know that at Montachuset Tech, Monte Tech they call it, the superintendent said she was talking with some of the unions to get them to relax their apprenticeship rules so that they, they would take some of these kids who aren't getting the hands on, say, in construction or electrical right now.

[J.R. Whelan]

Now, speaking of the Montachusetts, school superintendent Sheila Harrity has been making changes to keep the program running during the pandemic and she joins me now. Sheila, thank you for being with us.

[Sheila Harrity]

JR it's great to be with you.

[J.R. Whelan]

So technical programs require a lot of hands on work from the students. How have you had to improvise to overcome disruptions caused by the pandemic, you know, in terms of the equipment that they need?

[Sheila Harrity]

So when we had to shift to remote last March, when Massachusetts realized at the time that Covid was in our state and we really needed to close down, fortunately we actually had a one to one Chromebook initiative already in our school for five years and we were doing that for the remainder of the school year, but knew that we absolutely needed to get the students back into the building. It's really hard to teach plumbing and electrical skills without actually having the hands on application that the school would provide. Plus the teachers were at home and it's pretty hard to use your pots and pans from your kitchen to show the students how to wire a home and so forth. So when we worked with our teachers union and our parents and our community members and our school committee, of course, developing a plan for the return for this year, we knew that we needed the lens of how can we get as much hands on activities and engage the students at a school as possible in the most safest fashion. So what we decided is the students would come to the school, 700 a day. So half the students, half of the 700, the 350 would be in their shops and the other 350 would be doing their academics. And we would do that one week and then the opposite week we flip flopped that they would have their academics and then their technical program. So if you were in shop, you'd be in person three days a week, and in your academics, you would be in two days a week. And the other days, you would receive your education remotely. And that way we're able to service the 700 students each week so that everybody had some face time directly with their instructors and totally engaged with their vocational program.

[J.R. Whelan]

It sounds like it took some commitment to making sure that students had everything that they needed. So how did you ensure that, say, the cosmetology department made sure that students had what they needed, even studying from home?

[Sheila Harrity]

Well, each year, each individual student in the cosmetology department receives a kit, a hair kit that includes mannequins, we with all different lengths of hair, as well as all the various tools that the student would need to be engaged in cosmetology, including their apron and so forth. Well, when Covid hit and we had to go remote, students on their remote days before they leave Monte Tech take their cosmetology kit that includes their mannequins home with them. So when the teacher is doing instruction via zoom and doing the demonstrations on how to cut the hair or the curling or the coloring and so forth, that the students actually have their mannequins home with them as they're following along with the teacher and the demonstration.

[J.R. Whelan]

Now, our reporter Ann Michaux reported that you recently worked with the unions to allow students to work even though their classroom time had been reduced. Can you tell us more about that?

[Sheila Harrity]

So our vocational director and the other regional schools, their vocational directors as well, with both of the boards, both electrical plumbing, and talked to them specifically about how are we going to work together to ensure that our students stay in step with their apprenticeship and journeyman. And once the vocational directors explained the specific skills and the exact plan, the hybrid model that we were using, and everything has to be documented, they're documenting the number of hours in the shop, they're documenting the. Their skill performance. They're documenting their related theory time so that everything is accounted for. And they're working directly with the boards to ensure that this workforce pipeline does not see a massive gap. Because, as you know, a lot of the data showing that there's an aging population in these fields, and we want to make sure that we continue to bring up the next generation of. Of electricians and plumbers.

[J.R. Whelan]

So for students, how important is it for there to be minimal disruption in them getting to the finish line and then to graduate and embark on their career?

[Sheila Harrity]

I really need to credit our teachers because they were adamant that we needed to get back to school in the most safest fashion, knowing that they needed this, the students needed this hands on experience. We are a cog in the wheel of workforce development and it is essential that we continue the work that we're doing even through our COVID pandemic, because the only way we're going to recover from this pandemic is to make sure that we have the workforce necessary to help us recover. So I really need to applaud our teachers for their ability and their commitment to not only provide the best education and in person safely, but also to provide the education and training remotely so that they could sustain and continue to keep the students engaged through this very, very difficult time.

[J.R. Whelan]

Okay, that's Sheila Harrity, superintendent of Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Sheila, thank you for joining us.

[Sheila Harrity]

It was my pleasure to speak with you today.

[J.R. Whelan]

So, Anne, Sheila just mentioned the economic role that these vocational and technical schools play. I want to ask you how the schools are looking to attract the next generation of students and the role that an eventual career plays in that.

[Anne Michaud]

I think you're seeing a lot of emphasis right now on making sure that kids can come out of high school with a path to making money, even if they don't have a four year college degree. There's one school, innovation Zone in South Texas, which is three school districts that banded together to offer these sorts of technical programs to their students. And they're going around to eighth grades this year and speaking to the students about the various degree programs they have or certification programs. And one of the ways they hook students with this is to tell them about their potential earnings. For example, with an associate's degree as a welder, a student could make $65,000 to $85,000 a year.

[J.R. Whelan]

All right, that's Wall Street Journal reporter Ann Michaux. Anne, thanks for coming on the show. Thanks very much, J.R. and that's your money briefing. I'm J.R. whelan for the Wall Street Journal.

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