Authorizing City Council's Committee on Education and Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold joint public hearings to examine the best practices for the Philadelphia School District for career and technical education and how improved technical education will benefit our City's local economy.

WHEREAS, Students in career and technical programs in the Philadelphia School District have a higher rate of attendance, a higher percentage of students earning a 3.0 GPA, and a dropout rate less than one-third of the rate for non-vocational students; and

WHEREAS, The Lehigh Career & Technical Institute works closely with company CEOs and responds to companies requesting graduates from its programs for immediate employment because the curricula adhere to current industry standards including tests for over 90 official certifications required for private employment; and

WHEREAS, Students who graduate from career and technical programs can immediately gain high-demand, technically skilled employment with reported wages as high as $80 per hour for students graduating from the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute; and

WHEREAS, 41% of Philadelphia School District students scored below proficient in math and 48% scored below proficient in reading on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test; and

WHEREAS, 76% of all Philadelphia School District high school graduates in the year 2003 did not enter college within the first year of graduation and 90% of all Philadelphia School District high school graduates did not earn a college degree by the summer of 2009; and

WHEREAS, The national economy is in a state of recession, making employment harder to find and increasing competition for opportunities which increases the value of education and credentials; and

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia School District in 2011 only offered 14 career and technical education programs in 36 out of 57 high schools and the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute offered over 35 programs in areas such as Computer Aided Design, Administrative Office Technology, Web Design, Heavy Machinery, Masonry, Nanotechnology, Welding, Dental & Health Technology, and Law Enforcement; and

WHEREAS, The Lehigh Career & Technical Institute runs businesses in 17 of the programs in which students gain real-world experience in accounting, management, and critical decision-making; and

WHEREAS, The local economy of the City of Philadelphia will benefit from an increase in skilled labor, increased productivity from employees, increased business contacts and attention, and increased community investment by hiring skilled employees with local roots; now therefore

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes City Council's Committee on Education and Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold joint public hearings to examine the best practices for the Philadelphia School District for career and technical education and how improved technical education will benefit our City's local economy.

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