Ooh! Look! An Acorn!

a reply to: TheRedneck

I can definitely support something along these lines!

I would add vocational schools as well -- and I would have Mike Rowe involved, because he knows what we need and how to do it. Perhaps offer incentives for careers/fields that just don't have enough qualified applicants.

But I actually think we start sooner as well. I would also put shop classes back in high schools. And I'd take that further and support more vocational training at the upper high school level, even if off-campus, like Maricopa County has:

EVIT

EVIT is Arizona’s first Career Technical Education District

A public education system of career training options for East Valley high school students and Phoenix area adults: Aviation, Culinary Arts, Health Care, Cosmetology, Fashion Design, Welding & much more! Tuition-FREE for high school students. Tuition-based for adults, with financial aid available to those who qualify.

We desperately need to do something -- many things! -- and get our people trained and self-sufficient and independent again. Get people working and innovating and building again. Make us all strong and proud again. I've heard that even if we had the funds to repair our infrastructure, there are not enough skilled workers to do the job...

originally posted by: JustJohnny
a reply to: TheRedneck

Lol....

Republicans will never be down for anything that makes sense lol...

It is the opposite of conservatism..

And conservatives will never agree to anything new.. they prefer to keep failing in the sameway repeatedly and blaming Jesus..

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Krakatoa

I like this avenue better. Sort of a reciprocity. A paid internship in the field a person thinks they want to go into with part of the pay going into their scholarship fund to be matched by the government. There would be no obligation for them to continue in that field if they decided it was not for them. There obligation is final once they finish the intern period, but they leave with practical resume experience in what could their chosen field and money to kick-start their education.

I envision it similar to a trade school (I went to one for my high school years) where,

1. Year 1 is the exploratory year (you get 2 months to try each of 3 trades out of the available list; electrical, electronic, business, healthcare. etc..). That provides a 2 month sampling each trade for people to see what they want to do and where they excel. Tuition is covered 100% if they complete the full series of classes. Any drop-outs would be responsible for paying back the costs retroactively via a low interest loan process.

2. Year 2 they select two of the exploratory trades they attended in year 1. Those become specialist courses, and are intense in-depth classes. Grades now become important toward the percentage of cost that are deferred (A = 100%, B = 80%, etc...).

3. Year 3 a single trade is selected from the two taken in Year 2. This is an advanced set of courses that are related to the most recent trends and knowledge in that field. The time is broken into 2 week alternating stints; 2 weeks classes, 2 weeks in a paid internship in that field.

By the end of year 3 the student not only has classes toward a viable trade, but also has worked in that field and now has hands-on experience for their resume.

It is a good idea.

Why isn't Trump doing this now?

a reply to: TheRedneck

As the rough sketch of half an idea, it's not half bad.

But I'd first ask her why in the Hell she's not advocating something like this on the Floor of the Senate?? I think we can all guess why...but I'd ask her anyway.

Something like this, you get a couple of your fellow dems, and maybe a couple of republicans, to help flesh out the idea, then see where it goes from there.

But that would be too likely to actually come to some sort of fruition...and get broad bipartisan support, it certainly would outside the Beltway. Again, can't have that.

a reply to: Krakatoa

I like it!

I especially like the idea of including the trades... not everyone is suited for nor does everyone want an academic degree. Trades are just as important to society. Here we have an advanced technical diploma option... much more difficult, but you get both an academic diploma and a certification in a trade when you graduate high school. And the total cost is $25 per semester. The idea is that the money the state uses to subsidize the education is paid back by the recipients making more (and thus paying more taxes) for the rest of their lives. And it works well!

My son graduated with a certification as a machinist and went right to work in a machine shop... now he is over his department and highly trained in specific operations. My daughter went the academic route.

I also like the idea of the Trump Organization (or other private organizations) implementing it... Congress certainly isn't breaking any speed records bringing it up, as DBCowboy points out. They're touting it as something they want to do when they no longer make law...

TheRedneck

Soumi College up in Hancock has started a program working with Hancock High School to wave extra costs to anyone who wants to go to college there from Hancock. The State still provides some financial support, but the locals can get two years with no cost to them. Some get scholarships, that goes to the school, and of course, Soumi is not a technical college, but two years would take care of requirements of the first two years of another higher college, so overall, it saves the students a lot of money, locals can live at home, no dorm rooms required.

Other places are doing this, why can't communities take care of their own, why do colleges need to go recruit other cities kids instead of taking care of their own. College has become a big scam these days. It has turned into big business, and most of the cost to students is for things they really do not need.

a reply to: DBCowboy

Someone might want to ask him that question, maybe?

a reply to: TheRedneck

I always heard it as 'even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while'. Anyway, i don't believe anything Gillibrand says..she will say anything to get elected and do nothing. She's one of the worst democrats they have. Anyone who wants to obolish ICE is delusional and dangerous.

In this day & age there's no reason why everyone can't get a free college/university education online at little to no upfront cost through automated online courses. Our current higher education system is just another business sector trying to steal people's money & indoctrinate people into thinking through narrow bandwidths of knowledge. Imo, only true scholars should be attending universities. People think going to college/university makes one smarter, which is not true. It does make banksters & their corrupt establishment croni-career politicians richer though.

originally posted by: roadgravel
People are overlooking the current practice of what one party introduces, the other will not support. Would this get a pass? Doubt it.

The only certain thing is military spending and Congressional pay raises.

Not necessarily...

Not to thread derail, but AOC and Ted Cruz are working to co-sponsor a bill to stop politicians from going straight from elected office to a lobbyist office..

To the OP, I think it's a great idea but as you and others have pointed out, she could just introduce it now...

Maybe someone else can co-opt it and run with the idea.

Could be a great idea, but I would like to know what kind of social work would be acceptable. The last thing we would need is a bunch of college aged students vying to be "Community Organizers". We all know how that went with Obama using his Rules For Radicals playbook.

It would need to be substantial and real social work that would be unbiased and neutral as to political stance, and that would benefit people from all walks of life.

originally posted by: roadgravel
a reply to: ketsuko

There are many good ideas by citizens. That doesn't mean our leaders care to consider them.

In some cases, the citizens take matters into their own hands, solve a problem quickly and efficiently, and government comes along and penalizes them for it and tears down what they did. See the man in Canada who built a staircase the government kept not building but merely promising.

a reply to: Boadicea

We also need to stop making the concept of tracking a dirty thing. Not every kid is cut out for academia and higher education, not because not every kid is smart enough (some kids are smart enough, but they simply lack the patience to endure classroom education for example), but because some kids prefer a different style of education and vocation.

a reply to: EchoesInTime

i don't believe anything Gillibrand says..she will say anything to get elected and do nothing.

Oh, I don't believe her either... if she was serious, she can do more now to accomplish it than if she were President. I simply think it could be a good idea.

As I told DB, that's a big reason NOT to vote for her... leave her in the Senate where she can help implement it.

TheRedneck

a reply to: ketsuko

We also need to stop making the concept of tracking a dirty thing.

A-freakin'-MEN! Testify!

I know a lot of kids don't see a reason to excel even when they can, because excelling in high school usually means nothing more than a fast-track to a college they don't want to go to. Put them in a trade, and they're happy. My son is one of those... he has the mental horsepower to handle any college he wants to go to, but he doesn't have the desire. He wants to do something with his hands. Had I insisted on him going to college, he would likely have been mediocre in his field. With a trade, he is succeeding so fast it amazes me, and is still thinking about going to college now that he's older.

The schools push for college, though. There's actually a bit of stigma about kids going the trade route, as though they are only going that route because they can't hack college. I think some of that is that teachers are academics, but they need to realize their choices are not correct for everyone, only for them.

Let the kids decide what they want to do. That way, they'll want to excel.

TheRedneck

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Boadicea

We also need to stop making the concept of tracking a dirty thing. Not every kid is cut out for academia and higher education, not because not every kid is smart enough (some kids are smart enough, but they simply lack the patience to endure classroom education for example), but because some kids prefer a different style of education and vocation.

Definitely!

I remember getting a sinking feeling back in the '80s when Bush Senior got a whole lot of grief for saying pretty much exactly this... I knew then it wasn't going to work out well.

At the same time, my (then) new husband was telling me he'd work his ass off for our family, but he'd never be a 9-to-5-desk-job type guy. Lots of guys are (were?) like my husband, and are at their best in the field or at a workbench and working with their hands AND minds. And lots of them are able to work their way up in their fields, to management or niche positions, making innovations along the way, finding new and improved ways to get the job done, etc.

There is much untapped talent out there that is being squandered.

a reply to: TheRedneck

I don’t think this is a good idea at all. It’s basically socialized education. It’s not like they will be working for the government for two years. They will be working for private nonprofit charities. People will be starting these NPCs left and right. There is very little oversight over these organizations as it is. We would either need to expand the government oversight on these or create an entirely new agency to oversee these private organizations to make sure there is no funny business going on. I just don’t think it’s feasible and the opportunity for mismanagement will be vast. too great of a burden to oversee in anyway.

a reply to: TheRedneck

I will agree to a point...One year of full service for a technical skill/2 year degree. That one year is full time and not the old generic_01 hours of community service, kind of like going into the peace corp. Maybe the same for a 4 year degree with two years, but a 2.5 must also be maintained too.

a reply to: Boadicea

I like the idea, but I've heard of it many times before. Instead of spending time in a social work capacity, however, it's as a cadet or reserve in one of the services of your choice.

The only reason I like that alternative better is because it teaches young people the importance of being part of a team, respecting authority, and that loving and serving your country isn't always the dreaded 'nationalism'...