KISSIMMEE, FL — There was a time, believe it or not, when vocational education was important. According to Marc Bridgens, associate professor of hvacr at Pennsylvania College of Technology, vocational education can be traced back to the 1600s and it hit its height in the 1970s.
“In the 70s, it took off because we had industry in the front pulling it along saying, ‘C’mon, we need to get more people out here trained,’” said Bridgens. “The vocational education movement began with the industry saying, ‘We have to pull vocational education along and the educators have to get behind it and start pushing. They have to help.’ Industry said, ‘We can’t pull this alone. We have to have somebody behind us helping us push.’”