As I watched President Barack Obama deliver his annual State of the Union address to Congress recently, I felt a sense of pride as he mentioned the role that community colleges play in strengthening our economy, especially in the area of skills training and Career and Technical Education (CTE). I was inspired to hear the story of Rebekah Erler who along with her husband experienced economic hardships due to the declining housing and job markets several years ago. Rebekah eventually enrolled in a community college and was retrained for a new career, and her husband got back into construction.

The president stated, "To make sure folks keep earning higher wages down the road, we have to do more to help Americans upgrade their skills." He spoke about utilizing federal and state funding to cover the tuition costs for two years of community college education for all students who meet certain requirements, such as enrolling at least half-time and maintaining a 2.5 grade point average or higher. Making college education more affordable will result in improved certificate and degree completion and help more students transfer to four-year institutions. The president also called upon business and industry to provide job training opportunities, such as paid apprenticeships and career education opportunities for employees.

As of November 2014, the unemployment rate was 4 percent in Hawaii and 5.8 percent nationally. These figures are steadily improving. There are many positions in both existing and emerging fields that require specific skill sets and training. A community college education can help job seekers fulfill these requirements.

CTE is meeting these challenges in Hawaii and across the nation by preparing students to work in today’s economy. Not only is CTE here offering students technical training for a broad range of high-demand career fields like health care, construction, health information technology, web development, hospitality and tourism, engineering and information technology, it is providing students with academic and employability skills necessary for success in any career.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly one-third of the fastest-growing occupations will require an associate’s degree or a postsecondary certificate. In his speech, the president mentioned that "two in three job openings will require some higher education." At a time when job opportunity is so critical, students must be adequately equipped with the skills to successfully enter the workforce.

In Hawaii’s high schools, CTE programs provide rigorous academic and technical training to over 27,800 students. The University of Hawaii Community Colleges currently enrolls over 10,000 CTE students. In order to continue to prepare students for the workforce, we need to embrace the initiatives that President Obama spoke about in his address.

Additionally, congressional support and funding from the national level are important. The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act is the primary source of federal funding for CTE programs. It builds the capacity for academically rigorous instruction aligned to the needs of business and industry, and supports innovation and expands access to quality programs.

February is national CTE Month — themed "Recognizing Classroom Innovators!" — and is an opportunity for programs across America to demonstrate how we promote CTE college- and career-readiness. Special activities scheduled include presentations on how to study accounting, how to be a top chef, how to start a business, and on learning about CTE programs such as computer science, television production, digital media, health information technology, plant biology and tropical agriculture, and management.

Ron Umehira is dean of Career and Technical Education at Leeward Community College. For more, see events.leeward.hawaii.edu.