Expand CTE Education
Graduating career-ready
"A high school diploma should be the first day of a career, not a dead end. We must stop failing the students who choose the workforce over college by aggressively connecting them to the high-paying trades that actually build our city."
The Four-Year Fallacy
For decades, the public education system has pushed a singular, rigid narrative: success means getting a four-year college degree. By treating the skilled trades as a fallback option rather than a premier career path, we have stigmatized the very professions that keep our city running.
This "college only" pipeline has created a massive economic mismatch in Lynchburg. Local construction firms, manufacturing plants, and tech businesses are desperate for skilled labor, yet our schools are graduating students who are unprepared to fill these lucrative roles. Meanwhile, countless students who have no desire to attend a four-year university are left feeling disengaged, racking up unnecessary debt, or entering the local workforce without the certifications they need to earn a living wage.
Stigmatized Trades
Our public education model treats skilled vocational training as a fallback rather than an elite, first-choice path, leaving local industries starved for crucial labor.
Dave's Proposed Blueprint
Aggressive CTE Expansion
Dave will champion a massive expansion of our Career and Technical Education programs, ensuring students have access to state-of-the-art training in welding, carpentry, electrical work, coding, and healthcare before they even graduate high school.
Why Workforce Education Matters
The CTE Graduation Advantage
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), which consistently shows that high school students involved in CTE programs have a near 95% graduation rate, which is significantly higher than the national average. CTE is good for students, good for business, and good for communities.