Flashback: 44 Years Ago, DPS Board OK'd Industrial Arts Building

Records show that Dorchester Public School's industrial arts building is now 44 years old. 

It was in 1977 the DPS board -- comprised of Bob Kasl, Wayne Hansen, Phil Weber, Chuck Bolton, Kathy Palky, and Alan Slepicka --- voted to approve the construction of a building dedicated to industrial arts.  

Forty-four years later, many areas of the nation -- including our own -- suffer a serious shortage of skilled workers who specialize in critical industrial-related skills such as welding, plumbing, automotive repair and electrical. That's due, in part, to school officials and parents who over the years ignored or even ridiculed the importance of vocational education. 

Think about it. MBAs are a dime a dozen nowadays, while a good carpenter is a rare find. Where do you think future money-making opportunity lies? Real-life, hands-on skills still rule, especially in uncertain times. And considering that today's industrial jobs are driven by technology, robotics and artificial intelligence, they're more sophisticated than office jobs.

Fortunately, here in the U.S., education policy is largely decided locally. That means Dorchester and other small schools in rural America can partner with local community colleges and local employers to build a future workforce immediately. But pressure needs to come from taxpayers, while students and their parents need to take school seriously.

Let's hope DPS -- with its 44-year-old industrial arts building -- becomes a leader in enhancing students' industrial career prospects by helping them earn credentials, while modeling trade-related career paths and communicating with community colleges and employers as early as their junior high years.