Refocus on the Skilled Trades to Reduce the Critical Skills Gap in a Post-Pandemic World with Dr. Michael Herrera

In this episode, Michael Herrera, Ed.D., shares how to refocus on the skilled trades to reduce the critical skills gap in a post-pandemic world. Dr. Herrera is a proven, innovative, collaborative, and nationally recognized school leader & workforce development professional. Served eighteen years as a successful and published CTE administrator in two states. Additional experiences include serving one rewarding year as principal of a large comprehensive high school. Dr. Herrera is currently serving as the acting executive director of Upper Bucks County Technical School. THE STRENGTHENING CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ACT (PERKINS V) reauthorization requires a continuous improvement process within programs of study as well as defines explicit professional development guidelines that provide all levels of support in working toward providing the best possible delivery of programs in career and technical education (CTE) across the country. Pennsylvania, in compliance with Perkins IV, adopted the programs of study for CTE. Programs of Study (POS) are designed to provide students with the recommended academic and technical competencies needed for employment in Pennsylvania. These competencies were also aligned with Workforce Investment Boards (WIB) high-priority occupations (HPO), which are high-wage and high-demand careers within the region of the WIB. Read more here: Perkins V and Continuous Improvement