During the 1990s and early 2000s, both violent and juvenile crime decreased in America, according to data from The Sentencing Project – a trend that had officials in major U.S. cities optimistic about the future.
But with the outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2020 and the global pandemic that followed, there would be a resurgence in crime which experts attributed to the economic hardships that upended the lives of Americans, particularly among teenage boys and young male adults.
Since then, and even with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcing the end of the federal public health emergency in May 2023, officials in cities that include Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C., have proposed a variety of strategies to address and reduce trends in violent crime.
Here in the District, in October 2024, Councilmember Robert White (D-At-large) introduced a bill that he said came to him through conversations with D.C. youth: reviving what was once a robust vocational education program.
The alternative route to education and career-building skills would be available to students in high schools and adult education programs. But some who opposed the bill expressed their concern that Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs which seemingly targeted Black and Brown youth, might dissuade them from pursuing a college education.
However, as more American colleges see fewer students applying for and completing four-year degrees, and with a growing number of youths, particularly those of color, asking for more vocational programs in their communities, perhaps it’s time officials start listening to youth instead of ignoring their requests.
Vocational education programs teach hands-on skills specific to a particular career or trade. In addition, students learn technical skills related to their chosen field and other soft skills that include critical thinking, time management and problem-solving.
And when young adults have good-paying jobs with health benefits that allow them to take care of themselves and their families, they have other alternatives that ensure their economic, emotional and physical survival and, in most cases, lead them away from becoming involved in criminal activities.
As president-elect Donald Trump and his “advisor” Elon Musk wage battle with members of Congress over the future of America’s H-1B visa program, which identifies high-tech workers from other nations and eases the process for them to legally enter and work in the U.S., perhaps it’s time we focus on training young Americans.
If our own youth were trained and prepared to tackle similar high-tech tasks that lead to careers, perhaps we could really “make America great again.”