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Business leaders say CTE reform is critical to closing Vermont's workforce gaps
Summary
The Vermont Business Roundtable and other employers told the House committee that a systemwide rethink of career and technical education is needed to address aging and shrinking trade workforces and to expand economic opportunity for graduates.
Seth Bowden, president of the Vermont Business Roundtable, told the committee that Vermont faces “a tremendous workforce challenge,” particularly in the trades, and said systemwide reform of CTE—rather than incremental fixes—could expand access and improve long‑term workforce outcomes.
Bowden said Vermont graduates about 5,000 students a year, and cited data showing roughly half of graduates do not pursue further post‑secondary education. “That means 2,500 are going on to no further education. That in one year does not solve the workforce problem ... But over 10 years, that's 25,000 people,” he said, describing the potential long‑term impact on the state labor pool if more graduates had strong CTE pathways.
Why it matters: Employers told lawmakers they need reliable pipelines of trained workers. Witnesses argued that governance and funding reforms should be judged by whether they increase student access to industry‑relevant credentials and employment pathways.
Bowden said he supports a wholesale look at the system's future state and long‑term financial sustainability rather than “nibbling around the edges.” He said the sprint team and APA report provide rationale for a broad redesign of how the state's 17 CTE centers and other high‑school technical programs are governed and financed.
Bowden and other witnesses also described private‑sector engagement that helps CTE centers: in some places industry has provided equipment, space or post‑graduation hiring partnerships. He cited examples, noting the geographic variation in employer capacity to support programs.
No committee action was taken; lawmakers asked for additional detailed proposals and data on how reforms would affect student access and district budgets.
