Vocational High Schools Allow Students to Enter Workforce

Summary

---

Episode Overview

Episode Title: Vocational High Schools Allow Students to Enter Workforce
Podcast: WSJ Your Money Briefing
Host: J.R. Whalen
Guest: Tonnell Hobbs, Wall Street Journal K-12 Reporter
Date: June 4, 2019

This episode explores the surge in high school students pursuing vocational and technical education as an immediate path to the workforce. WSJ reporter Tonnell Hobbs discusses the growing availability and appeal of these programs, how students earn real-world certifications, and the economic factors driving the shift away from traditional college routes.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Decline in College Enrollment & Rise of Vocational Education

• Trend Identified: Fewer students are enrolling in college after high school, while interest in workforce-ready programs is rising.
  • Quote: “We’ve noticed an uptick in the last several years of more students wanting to go right into the workforce. And the jobs are there.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [02:25]
• Driving Factors: A tight, historic job market is incentivizing students to seek direct paths into employment.
  • Quote: “We are in a very unique and historic tight job market. That must have a lot to do with it.”
    — J.R. Whalen [02:42]

---

2. Inside the Birdville Center of Technology and Advanced Learning

• Program Snapshot: The Birdville Center in Dallas is a state-of-the-art, $16.5 million campus enrolled with 1,700 students.
  • Notable Feature: “...the first thing I was met with was...one of them was for a credit union and the other was for the school...the students there actually helped run a credit union.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [03:25]
• Hands-On Learning: Students gain practical experience in fields like banking, phlebotomy, pharmacy, and auto repair.
  • Quote: “These students are being certified in phlebotomy, as pharmacy techs...this school definitely prepares these students to go right into the workforce.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [03:39]
• Up-to-Date Facilities: Unlike some programs, Birdville’s facilities and equipment are operational and current.
  • Quote: “Everything really did seem to work in the school where these kids were getting hands-on learning.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [04:18]

---

3. Efficient District-Wide Approaches

• Model: Consolidating career programs into one central physical campus rather than spreading them across multiple schools.
• Cost Savings: Centralization saves districts on both staffing and equipment.
  • Quote: “What some of these districts are doing, they’re just putting all of the career schools in one building and they’re bringing the students from their home campuses into these career schools to save money.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [05:00]

---

4. Academic Balance and Student Motivation

• Dual Pathways: Students fulfill traditional academic curriculum at their home campuses, then bus to the career center for technical training.
  • Quote: “Their academic courses [are] at their home campuses, and then they bus them into the career center for the career portion.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [05:35]
• Focused and Driven Students: Participation is intentional; many students enter programs with clear career ambitions.
  • Quote: “If you’re in the pharmacy tech department...and you know you want to work in a pharmacy after high school, these students were so focused and so driven...”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [06:30]

---

5. Real Workforce Credentials

• Certifications Awarded: Students regularly graduate with industry-recognized certifications.
  • In 2017-18, over 1,600 certifications were awarded in areas like pharmacy tech, auto body, and food management at Birdville alone.
  • Quote: “These certifications allow these students to go right from high school, right into the workforce.”
    — Tonnell Hobbs [06:03]

---

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Student Drive:
  “These students are so ambitious...they will be able to test for the certifications. And for these students, this is what they want to do in their career.”
  — Tonnell Hobbs [06:30]

• On the Value of Vocational Education:
  “They believe that they have a head start over a lot of other students out there.”
  — Tonnell Hobbs [06:58]

---

Important Timestamps

• 02:25 — Tonnell Hobbs discusses the shift from college to workforce-focused education.
• 03:25 — Description of the Birdville Center and its integration with a real credit union.
• 04:18 — Insights on the high quality and functionality of career education facilities.
• 05:00 — Explanation of centralized career school models for cost efficiency.
• 05:35 — Overview of student schedules balancing academics and technical training.
• 06:03 — Stats and significance of workforce certifications received by students.
• 06:30 — Commentary on the motivation and ambition of vocational students.

---

Episode Tone & Style

The discussion is data-driven yet personable, focusing on real stories and systemic trends in education and workforce preparation. The language is clear and practical, reflecting the WSJ’s journalistic tone.

---

Summary

This episode highlights a significant rise in high school students choosing vocational education as a direct pathway into the workforce. Through in-depth reporting on innovative programs like Dallas’s Birdville Center, WSJ’s Tonnell Hobbs illustrates how hands-on training, industry certifications, and focused ambition are equipping students to succeed outside the traditional college route—meeting both individual goals and market demands.

Transcript

[A]

This podcast is brought to you by relioQuest. Cybercriminals are constantly attacking. They want your data. They want your identity. They want your innovation. RelioQuest fortifies your business with agentic defense AI that detects, contains and eliminates cyber threats in minutes. It helps your security team move faster at the work that matters most to protect the business now and delivers insights to help them predict what's next. ReliaQuest agentic defense for the enterprise. Learn more at reliaquest.com that's R E L I A Q U E-S-T.com.

[B]

Here's your Money briefing. I'm J.R. whalen at the Wall Street Journal in New York. High school students eager to enter the working world are getting hands on experience at their schools to the point where they're earning certificates allowing them to step right into the real world. We'll have the details in a moment. First, these money and market stories. You should know factory output in the US Fell in May to the lowest level since October of 2016. And the and economists tell the Wall Street Journal manufacturers are weighing the potential impact of tariffs on imported goods. And tariffs on Mexican goods will have a more severe effect than other tariffs. Currently, US Manufacturers face higher costs for many components and metals because of U.S. tariffs on goods from China and a strong dollar that makes US Exports more expensive. And newly released data from the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that older workers, and especially women, are still facing age discrimination. In the latest study, researchers created resumes and cover letters for fictional applicants whose only difference between them was age, and they sent 40,000 applications for job openings in 11 states. The number of callbacks from prospective employers was significantly lower for applicants age 49 and above. And for the women, the age discrimination began at an earlier age than men. The number of high school students focusing on career and technical education is growing up 14% over the past decade to three and a half million. Wall Street Journal reporter Ton L. Hobbs is on the line with us to explain how schools are preparing students for the real world. So Tonnell, why has the number of high school students pursuing these types of classes increased so significantly?

[C]

Well, you know, as we've seen, the number of students enrolling in college after high school that has dropped. We've noticed an uptick in the last several years of more students wanting to go right into the workforce. And the jobs are there.

[B]

So I guess this has a lot to do not only with the college enrollment levels coming down, but at the same time we are in a very unique and historic tight job market that must have a lot to do with it.

[C]

It definitely does. A lot of the teachers that I talked to in this career tech school here in Texas, that is exactly what they said. They said that there is definitely a demand for these career and technical positions. And they have noticed more and more students signing up for these classes. Most of their programs have waiting lists.

[B]

And this is a really unique school you focus on in your story. The one in Dallas that provides hands on experience from everything from health to banking.

[C]

Yeah, this school was, is truly unique. And actually when I visited this school it was for something totally different. And then I get there and the first thing I was met with was, you know, the outside of the school there's two main interests and one of them was for a credit union and the other was for the school. So it was confusing. And then I was, I found out that the students there actually helped run a credit union. And, and then that just kind of, you know, once I walk through the school, I mean, you know, these students are being certified in phlebotomy as pharmacy techs. I mean this school, and this is what they say, that it definitely prepares these students to go right into the workforce. And I could see a lot of that happening in this school.

[B]

And this is the Birdville center of Technology and Advanced Learning. This is not a small school. This is a 16 and a half million dollar campus.

[C]

It definitely is. And they, they enroll about 1700 students. It is a big campus and I mean it is state of the art a lot. I was really surprised about the school. I've been into a lot of schools with career and technical programs and sometimes they're not up to date or the equipment's broken. This school, everything was running. They had, even I was quite taken with their, their auto body shop and there were seven bays, they had cars and students were working on the cars and everything really did seem to work in the school where these kids were getting hands on learning.

[B]

And it's not just the school in Dallas that's providing these types of classes.

[C]

No, more and more I am seeing these type of schools crop up. And the unique things about these schools is that they are, instead of spreading out all your career programs and to different high schools which does cost money because you're paying for staff and you're paying for program costs. What some of these districts are doing, they're just putting all of the career schools in one building and they're bringing the students from their home campuses into these career schools to save money.

[B]

And the students are also learning their academic syllabus and academic curriculum as well. Is that right?

[C]

That's right. And that's why. And that's this setup. They actually get a lot of that academic. Their courses, their academic courses at their home campuses, and then they bus them into the career center for the career portion.

[B]

And you alluded to this earlier, that this is not really for fun. These students, in a lot of cases, receive certification at the end of their coursework in the vocational areas and they can go step right into the workforce right from the school.

[C]

You know, in the 201718 school year, there were 1,636 certifications received. And these could be everything from pharmacy tech to auto body to food management. And what these teachers tell me, these certifications allow these students to go right from high school, right into the workforce.

[B]

And tonal, these programs really give the students something to do aside from their academics. It really gives them a sense of academics and accomplishment.

[C]

These students are so ambitious. They know that they are in these classes, in these classes. At the end of these classes, they will be able to test for the certifications. And for these, for these students, this is what they want to do in their career. So if you're in the pharmacy tech department and you're learning how to do that and you know you want to work in a pharmacy after high school, these students were so focused and so driven because they know at the end of these classes they will be taking these important certification exams that that will allow them to go right into the workforce. They believe that they have a head start over a lot of other students out there.

[B]

That's a fantastic program for high school students. And that's Wall Street Journal K through 12. Reporter Tonnell Hobbs on the line with us. Tonnell, thanks for coming on the show.

[C]

Thanks a lot for having me on the show.

[B]

And that's your money briefing. I'm JR Whalen in New York for the Wall Street Journal.

[A]

This podcast is brought to you by reliaQuest. Cybercriminals are constantly attacking. They want your data. They want your identity. They want your innovation. RelioQuest fortifies your business with agentic defense AI that detects, contains and eliminates cyber threats in minutes. It helps your security team move faster at the work that matters most to protect the business now and delivers insights to help them predict what's next. ReliaQuest agentic defense for the enterprise. Learn more at reliaquest.com that's R E L I A Q U E-S-T dot com.