Government programs initiated with the best of intentions don’t always perform as expected once presented to the public they were designed to serve.
The list of programs that failed, for one reason or another, to deliver the desired results is too long to reproduce here, but it is safe to say a state initiative designed to introduce more high school students to the offerings of technical schools won’t be found on it.
The number of high school students enrolled at Kansas’ community and technical colleges increased by 50 percent during the first year of the program, championed by Gov. Sam Brownback. More enrollment growth is expected this year.
Granted, the offer of free tuition — actually paid by the state — is a major incentive for participating students, but the program is working as it was designed to do and the $12 million the state spent on tuition last year appears to be a sound investment in the future of the students and the state.
Brownback made the program one of his primary objectives early in his term, saying students would acquire skills to prepare them for the work force upon graduation from high school. Students who want to complete college, he said, would have a way to finance the additional education.
It is hoped many high-schoolers will opt for training in fields that currently have a high demand for qualified workers — electricians, diesel engine experts, carpenters and heating mechanics are on that list — but the students are free to enter any field of study offered by the school they choose.
Clark Coco, dean of Washburn Institute of Technology, says the school has doubled the size of its diesel program and more than doubled the size of its health care program — another growth area — to meet the demand of students and employers.
Washburn Tech offers a double career path that allows students to earn credits that can transfer to Washburn University. Students can take their technical degree and enter the work force or opt to continue their education at WU. Or, they can do both and earn money to pay for college with the skills they have acquired.
Giving students those options, while creating a skilled work force for current and future employers, is what the program was designed to do. It’s working.