Source: Boston Globe
Date: Updated August 22, 2022
By: Barry Bluestone and Deval Patrick
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Madison Park has state-of-the-art shops, talented instructors from industry, and a solid Career Technical Education curriculum to train students.

In the midst of change and transition in the Boston Public Schools, at least one of its high schools can offer the city’s families some encouraging news. Consensus has finally emerged in both the business community and the new Boston Public School administration that career readiness, known in Boston as Career Technical Education, must be a critical part of students’ K-12 education and that the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School must become the flagship school for CTE. With the support of city officials, alumni, and a new organization of business, labor, and civic leaders, Madison Park is facing a promising future.

The consensus around career readiness is timely. According to the Massachusetts Department of Labor, there are already far more vacancies for skilled workers in our region than there are candidates with the right qualifications. That gap will surely widen as many Baby Boomers retire from the labor force. CTE offers marketable occupational skills and access to those jobs alongside mastery of the academic subjects that students learn in traditional high schools. Madison Park is poised to fill the growing need for skilled workers in everything from carpentry, electrical installation and repair to the culinary arts and dental assisting.