MetroED: One of Our County’s Best-Kept Secrets in Job Training and Economic Development

By Joe Simitian

In our ever-changing job market, there’s no such thing anymore as “traditional” pathways to success. While higher education remains a worthy aspiration for many, there is a growing recognition of the equally important role Career and Technical Education (CTE) plays in shaping a well-rounded and skilled workforce. More than just an alternative pathway, CTE provides myriad opportunities for fostering innovation and learning, economic growth, and prosperous communities.

But even CTE has to keep pace with changing times. I know a lot of folks grew up taking auto shop or wood shop or home economics. Today, though, it’s a different world — a world that requires a different set of skills and talents that are in demand. So, we have to do more.

Recognizing this need, last year I proposed a one-time County grant to the Metropolitan Education District (MetroED) to establish two new CTE programs — a nursing science program to support the growing demand for health care workers in our County, and an electrical vehicle program to address the rising need for service in the electric vehicle market. We know we have a critical nursing shortage, and we know electric vehicles are a rapidly growing share of the automotive market. So investing in these two programs provides a great return on investment for our local economy.

MetroED was prepared to take the leap, and just needed some financial support to do it. They deserve to be commended for assessing the needs of the community and the market and then addressing them. The outcome is good for the community, and absolutely great for the young people who hope to be employable, and who now will be employable once they complete these programs.

Over the years it has been immensely frustrating to me when I talk to local employers who tell me that they can’t find the talent they need for their businesses, even when unemployment rates are at higher levels. At the same time, I hear from people who tell me they want to work. When I ask myself, ‘Where’s the disconnect?’ I realize we’re not always matching our vocational education and career training with the current and emerging trends in the market. The skills and training we’re giving folks may not necessarily be the right skills and training for the current demands here in Silicon Valley.

Again, to MetroED’s credit, they’re thinking about how they can meet the real-world, day-to-day demand in emerging industries and then equipping students with practical, hands-on skills to bridge the gap between education and employment. The result is that students are better prepared to enter the workforce with confidence and competence.

I’m delighted that the new programs launched this past August with significant demand by students enrolled in each program. Later this month, I look forward to celebrating this milestone with a ribbon-cutting on the MetroED campus in San Jose.

Simply put, CTE is a win-win-win. It’s good for the students who will have job-ready marketable skills once they complete the programs. It’s good for our local businesses who will be able to fill the openings they have with a talent pool of local folks who are ready to go to work. And it’s good for our community, because it means whether you need a medical appointment or you need to take your car in to the shop, there’ll be increased availability of these services.

When it comes to workforce development, we’ve got to be ahead of the curve. It’s not about meeting the needs of today, but about anticipating the needs of tomorrow, and the day after that. In that sense, we’re never “done” designing and developing these programs. The needs of the marketplace will continue to change and evolve, and that means we’ve got to continue to assess the nature of the need and respond accordingly. With MetroED, we’re on the right track.

To learn more about MetroED’s CTE programs, visit https://www.metroed.net/.

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Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian represents the Fifth District which includes Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Stanford, portions of San Jose and unincorporated communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. Stay up to date on news and events happening in District Five by signing up for Supervisor Simitian’s monthly newsletter: district5.sccgov.org/newsletter.

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