To the Editor:
As the Island’s nonprofit workforce training organization, ACE MV strongly endorses the proposed upgrades to and investment in MVRHS career and technical education (CTE) facilities, which are now not up to code, and cannot provide the training that existing and future generations of students require for today’s economy. In addition to serving high school students, the proposed state-of-the-art learning labs and training equipment will also be available to Island community members of all ages interested in after-hours workforce training and community education.
ACE MV now facilitates evening courses for adults in partnership with MVRHS and regional training providers to prepare electricians, certified nurses’ assistants, elementary and early educators, clean energy technicians, and working English language learners. With an expanded facility, ACE MV plans to add programs for automotive mechanics, plumbing apprentices, and maritime workers. With adequate space and equipment, all Island community members will now have access to training and employment support, facilitated by ACE MV at low or no cost, and without leaving the Island.
Across the nation, educators are rethinking and restructuring how young people prepare for work. With college expenses out of reach for many, CTE has become a magnet for young people seeking an economically sound adulthood. This is not the vocational education of old — not a default, but a wise choice of many young people who want to learn the latest technologies and get hands-on work experience while keeping postsecondary education as an option.
Please join ACE in voting yes on the high school building project. A yes vote is a vote for the Island’s future.
Alexandra Bullen Coutts, executive director
Nancy Hoffman, board chair
ACE MV