Utah’s house speaker seeks funding for technical education

SALT LAKE CITY— Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz is looking to give high school students more opportunities for hands-on career training and technical education, so they can join the workforce right after graduation.

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On Monday, Schultz introduced a bill that would provide grants to local education agencies to expand or create so-called “catalyst centers.” 

These catalyst centers provide Career and Technical Education (CTE) training, offering real-world learning experiences to students who want to go into technical careers, like pharmacy tech, drones, or graphic design.

“We need these types of skills to be taught in our high schools,” said Schultz. “They’re super important.”

According to Schultz, while they are looking to fill the needs in certain career fields, they are also trying to provide more career pathways for students upon graduation. 

Technical education increases graduation rates

Data from the Utah State Board of Education shows that 98.5% of Utah high school students who complete a CTE program graduate, as opposed to statewide average of 88.8%.

 The idea is modeled after the Davis Catalyst Center, which Schultz recently visited.

“I loved that industry was being involved in there and the teachers for the most part came from these industries and they were there because they wanted to do something different,” Schultz said.

The bill would exempt certain individuals from educator licensing requirements, enabling them to teach those specialized classes. It also asks for $65 million upfront to help build out these programs statewide, and then $150,000 a year after that.

It was passed unanimously on Monday by the House Education Committee. It now heads to the full house for a vote.

Related: Utah House speaker outlines his goals for Utah’s education ahead of 2025 legislative session