Dr. Stanley Komacek
Department of Applied Engineering & Technology
California University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Perry Gemmill
Department of Industry & Technology
Millersville University
A common joke is that some college
graduates end up flipping hamburgers at fast food restaurants because they can’t
find a job in their field. In
Pennsylvania, however, Technology Education graduates report receiving dozens of
calls asking them to apply for open positions.
In Pennsylvania and across the United States, there is a serious shortage of
Technology Education teachers. Last year, the PA Department of Education issued over 150
emergency teaching certificates for the field.
Because of the shortage, numerous teaching positions are available.
“The Pennsylvania Department of
Education website tells prospective teachers that if you’re going into teaching,
you’re going into a crowded field,” said Dr. Stan Komacek, Chair of the Applied
Engineering and Technology Department at Cal U.
“But in the Technology Education field, that’s not the case at all.
Other education majors might apply for a job where three or four hundred
applicants already have applied.
Technology Education majors, on the other hand, find that the schools call them
regarding open positions.” At
Millersville University, Dr. Perry Gemmill states that "we continuously receive
requests for our technology education teacher graduates from school districts
within Pennsylvania and nearby states. Although there is a shortage of
technology education teachers within the state, there appears to be a greater
demand from states such as Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
Misconceptions about Technology
Education
California University and
Millersville University, the only two Pennsylvania schools with technology
teacher preparation programs, have been preparing Technology Education teachers
since the late 1980s. The
Technology Education teacher education programs often experience image problems.
Some people think the programs still prepare industrial arts teachers for
woodworking and metalworking; although those subjects are no longer offered.
Other people confuse the program with educational technology and think
the program deals only with computers.
Still others think Technology Education prepares teachers for vocational
education. “There’s a misperception
that our graduates will be teaching in vocational schools.
But that’s a different certification,” said Dr. Mark Nowak, Technology
Education professor. “Our students
will teach their students more than just vocational job skills- they will teach
students how to solve technological problems, how to work cooperatively in
design teams and how to promote entreprenuership through the operation of
technological enterprises.
Technology Education addresses many of the goals established by groups such as
the U.S. Department of Labor’s Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary
Skills and the Technology for All Americans Project.” At California and
Millersville, all undergraduate students are permitted to complete two courses
in Technology Education on the history, impacts and future of technology and
count them as part of their general education requirements.
Technology Education programs are
challenging. Students are required
to complete such college courses as algebra, trigonometry, statistics, general
physics and general chemistry.
Courses in English composition, technical writing and speech communication are
needed. Also, Technology Education courses are laboratories that meet for six
hours per week for three credits, versus the three hours per week for lecture
courses in English, mathematics, art, history and other subjects. Preparing for
teacher certification in grades K-12, Technology Education students spend a
significant amount of time in elementary and secondary schools including a full
semester of student teaching.
Placement Statistics for
Graduates
According to the Cal U Career
Services Office, the average starting salary for Cal U Technology Education
graduates in 1999 was over $32,000.
The top starting was $36,500. Some
graduates report schools pay higher salaries for teachers who graduate with at
least a 3.50 grade point average.
There was one report that a school had placed an advertisement on the Internet
offering to pay a signing bonus of over $2,000 for qualified Technology
Education teachers! Some school
districts offer loan forgiveness, tuition reimbursement for graduate studies and
summer employment.
Every Cal U Technology Education graduate for the past eight years has
received a teaching position. Also,
the skills that Technology Education students learn can be transferred to a
variety of industrial careers. Some graduates from a number of years ago have started their
own technology-based businesses. Millersville University reports similar
statistics in the employment of their Technology Education graduates with the
added note that each year a few grads opt to enter graduate schools to earn
masters degree before entering the job market as teachers.
Some of these grads pursue employment in technical institutes, community
colleges and universities.
Diversity Needed
Unfortunately, the Technology
Education major still attracts more white male students than female and minority
students. According to the state
department of education, in Pennsylvania less than one percent of the state’s
Technology Education teachers are female.
The percentage of minority teachers in the field is only slightly higher.
Well over 90 percent of the state’s Technology Education teachers are
white males. The Technology
Education programs at California and Millersville have been recruiting more
female and minority students. Recruitment posters distributed across the state last year
portrayed a female teaching a technology class. The efforts are starting to pay off, but slowly.
At both California and Millersville, women comprise about 10 percent of
the Technology Education students, still a small percentage of the total, but a
important first step.
“A vast majority of students who
start in this major end up finishing,” said Nowak, explaining that the retention
rate is 90 percent for Technology Education majors.
“But that may be based on the fact that our students are more motivated
than those in other majors because of the great job opportunities available.
They know that if they can finish the program, they are virtually
guaranteed a teaching job.” Another reason is the experiential nature of the
curriculum and the close relationships that are often developed with faculty and
other students in the laboratory courses and field experiences.
One of the reasons so many positions
are available is that school districts across the country are introducing or
expanding Technology Education into their existing curriculum. In Pennsylvania,
the study of Technology Education is currently required at the elementary,
middle and high school levels with technology content standards likely to soon
be approved by the State Board of Education.
Re-Certification
Now that Technology Education has
received some attention because of the shortage of teachers, Komacek says people
already working in industry and teaching in other fields have inquired about
obtaining Technology Education teacher certification.
For these and other prospective students, Cal U and MU each offers a
program that will allow someone with a bachelor’s degree in another field to
complete twenty-one credits toward Technology Education teacher certification at
the graduate level. The students
must still complete all of the undergraduate certification requirements, but
these 21 credits can be applied toward certification and the master’s degree in
Technology Education. Students who
take advantage of this program only need to complete nine or 15 more graduate
credits to complete the master’s degree.
Individuals wishing to learn more about
admission to Technology Education teacher preparation programs may contact the
department chair at either Cal U or MU.
Dr. Stanley Komacek
Department of Applied Engineering & Technology
California University of Pennsylvania
250 University Avenue
California, PA 15419-1394
724-938-4085
komacek@cup.edu
Dr. Perry Gemmill
Department of Industry & Technology
Millersville University
P. O. Box 1002, Millersville, PA 17551-0302
717-872-3316
Perry.Gemmill@millersville.edu
This article was jointly prepared by Millersville and California universities.