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My first experience with technical/adult education came at the age of 44 when the plant I was working at closed. My philosophy on Adult and Career Education stems from my personal experience as a student and as a current instructor of adult education.

As an educational entity, I believe the primary focus of vocational institutions should be geared toward the learner as a "whole" and not solely on the mastery of "job-specific skills." I think adult and career education encompasses much more than just instructing students on how to

perform particular tasks; it should also:

Aid in the development of students personality and character while promoting spiritual and human values
Promote activities and curriculum that enhances the learners capacity for understanding, critical thinking, and self-expression
Develop competencies in decision-making
Enable students to cope with the rapid advances in computer technology
Help instill the qualities necessary for active and intelligent participation, teamwork, and leadership

As educators, we should recognize students as willing participants, capable of making choices and decisions, and not machines that only respond in a certain way to a certain stimulus. I believe all human beings have the ability to change and to learn. Adult and Career Education classrooms are often a various blend of students: some straight out of high school, some who are attending or who have already attended college, older adults, such as myself, who find them selves in need of retraining, as well as individuals who are just looking to improve their skills in a specific area.

It is our responsibility when creating policy, procedure, and curriculum, to explore and take into consideration the needs, interest, and problems of the variety of students involved, which includes students who come from different
backgrounds, working experiences, and family environments. Therefore, we must strive to incorporate enough flexibility to create an atmosphere that lends itself toward self-discovery, interaction with others, and improved leadership abilities. Some may argue this is not the responsibility of career and technical education. However, if you were to ask any employer I believe they would agree that the best employees are those who can bring more to the job than
just job-specific proficiency.

A certain amount of structured guidance is both necessary and essential to ensure students achieve specific job-related skills. Nevertheless, I also think it is our responsibility

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