Balow: Workforce Shortages Need Fixing

Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow says state schools need to do a better job of teaching job skills and career readiness.

She says employers in the state often aren't able to find state residents with the needed skills in many industries including oil and gas, construction and others. She says because of that many jobs in the state are going to non-residents, especially in work that requires specialized skills.

She says one problem is that Wyoming schools ''focus a lot on college readiness and a little on career readiness, and we really need to see those as one and the same''.

She says students need to learn at a young age that career and technical education courses are a viable education path. She says that doesn't mean young students have to pick an occupation at a young age, but just understand what their options are.

Balow says for many state industries most jobs don't require a four-year college degree, but they do often require some sort of specialized training and state students aren't always being prepared for those jobs as well as they could be.