Last year approximately 180 people received their GED from the only program in Carbon County that offered free GED courses. The program was based at the Carbon County Technical Institute (CCTI) in Jim Thorpe, and it had ties to “Career Link,” which tries to help the unemployed find jobs. High school dropouts often found that they really did need that diploma, and they enrolled to get their GED. That program has now been eliminated.
CCTI also provided a very popular welding course. Students who completed the course were in high demand. That course has also been eliminated. No more state funding.
Carbon County also placed students in the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps. That Corps required participants to have at least an 8th grade education. The students in that program built the cabins at Mauch Chunk Lake, learning not only important skills, but also self-reliance and self-confidence. As one staffer put it, “that program was a life saver for those kids.” The Conservation Corps has also been eliminated.
Republican legislators always say they want to create jobs. They say that lower taxes will do that.
What they don’t seem to understand is that businesses need a trained and educated workforce. It is hard for me to accept that the state government would end programs that gave people hope, that gave them jobs, that benefited the Commonwealth. It is not only immoral, it is just plain stupid.
The Carbon County representative is Doyle Heffley. His address is 110 N. Third Street, Lehighton, PA 18235. His office phone is 610-377-6363.
I don't get it. We all know that education is the key to success. That's what made me so successful with my job. You should copy and send to editor of the papers.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea, but the Times News doesn't print many of my letters.
ReplyDelete