Iowa Officials: Skilled Labor Training on Brink of Overhaul

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say Iowa’s system for teaching career and technical training could be on the brink of a major overhaul, but they add it’s too early to tell how much the potential changes could cost and who should pay for them.

Career and technical education, once known as vocational education, is essentially skilled training for work that will require more than a high school diploma. The terms encapsulate numerous fields and industries.

An education task force released a report recently that offers recommendations to expand the way such training is offered in the state. Officials, including Gov. Terry Branstad, have announced plans to counter a shortage in skilled labor with a renowned focus on training opportunities.

Officials say such education efforts can’t be broken down yet into costs.