This article originally appeared as an op-ed in Newsweek on Dec. 26, 2024.

The education policy of the incoming federal administration is still being formulated. While there will be many issues that we as unionized educators disagree with, there is at least one initiative that should be drawing support from across the political spectrum—an expansion of career and technical training for our high school and community college students.

Today's technical training goes far beyond the woodshop of decades ago.

Often involving paid apprenticeships in major firms, it can range from computer-assisted design and software development to cybersecurity and robotics.

In New York City it includes training in the technology of electric vehicles; in Syracuse, N.Y. it is a new high school dedicated to science and technical careers, supported in part by Micron Technology, Inc., a leader in semiconductor manufacturing and microchips.

In Cleveland, Ohio, students are learning about health care in a school housed inside a hospital,the city's MetroHealth Medical Center. They study a biomedical curriculum, in addition to more traditional high school courses. Students have access to internships and networking opportunities in the hospital system, which can lead to jobs in the system. Juniors and seniors also have an opportunity to earn state-tested nurse aide (STNA) credentialing.

In Los Angeles, students at the Roybal school can prepare themselves for careers in the entertainment industry, working with local professionals on skills ranging from set and costume design to lighting, sound, editing, and animation.

Partnerships with Microsoft are helping educators from as varied communities as New York City, Wichita, Kan., and San Antonio, Texas, support students in building future-ready skills like AI literacy.

The high school graduation rate for career technical education (CTE) students is about 90 percent—15 percentage points higher than the national average of all academic programs. Nearly three-quarters of the CTE students decide to go on to college.

The economy was the most important issue for voters in the November elections. This economic anxiety reflects a long-standing trend—the percentage of Americans earning more than their parents has been steadily decreasing over the last 80 years. Preparing new generations for high-paying jobs of the future can help reverse this trend.

Jobs related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—STEM—are well paid and in demand, including in areas around the country that have suffered from de-industrialization.

Micron's investment in our Syracuse training program, for example, is designed to help it staff the 2.4 million-square-foot computer chip manufacturing plant it is planning for the Syracuse area, an investment slated to bring 50,000 high-paying jobs to the region.

Initiatives like this have the potential to keep high-tech manufacturing in the U.S. and help rectify the geographic, educational, and economic gaps that have polarized many of our communities. It shouldn't be a matter of politics or partisanship. The planned Micron Syracuse plant will provide job opportunities for people in blue Syracuse and the red counties surrounding the city.

But while apprenticeships and similar programs are common in Europe, in the United States spending on high school technical training is a tiny percentage of education budgets. More than 8 out of 10 voters across the political spectrum support increasing government funding for skills training.

The great majority of education spending in the United States is locally and state-based, but the federal government can play an important role. By increasing investment in the Perkins Act, Job Corps, the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act the national government can help drive additional spending for programs that will result in an improved economy and better lives for families around the nation.