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Todd Schaible from Selmer, Tennessee, is a man of many talents—from carpentry to home improvement contracting, if you need it done, Todd can probably do it. For years, he spoke to the superintendent of the McNairy County School District about the need for construction education in the career technical education (CTE) program in their system. But Todd isn’t the kind of person who is just going to talk about a need; he’s going to jump in as someone willing to meet the need. “I wasn’t hearing or seeing anyone from the class come out of school and pursue a job in the trades,” he said, knowing what a life in the trades had done for him.

So, when the opportunity came for him to teach construction at Adamsville High School, he answered the call. “I love the teaching part and trying to get kids interested in the trades,” he says. But, “it turned out to be the hardest job I’ve ever had… very rewarding when you get the attention of even one.”

As laid out in Beacon’s forthcoming report, Enrollment and Employment: Is Tennessee Preparing K-12 Students for Today’s Economy?, nearly seven out of ten Tennessee graduates do not feel that high school adequately prepared them for a job. On top of that, only 27 percent of business leaders in the state feel that there is an adequate supply of workers to meet their employment needs.

So, what’s the solution? We, along with Todd, would argue that Tennessee needs to not only make CTE an option, but a priority for more students.. The state is doing well in providing opportunities, but there’s more that can be done. “It seemed that no emphasis was put into trades,” Todd said, “and it was a program they had to have, so no promotion was given to the trade class.”

In the aforementioned report, you’ll soon be able to read about how things are done in Indiana, where students are put on a track—either higher education, military, or the trades—and receive a diploma “seal” recognizing the student’s accomplishment of his or her chosen track. When asked about Indiana’s model, Todd is enthusiastic that Tennessee should adopt a similar model. “We need to see promotion of and understanding that the trades programs are different from regular academic schooling. CTE classes are not merely a place for problem students, and more resources for the students are needed.”

Todd is no longer teaching CTE at Adamsville High School, but his passion for the trades and student outcomes remains. He wants to make his message heard loud and clear: Tennessee has a real opportunity—if we take CTE seriously—to build a skilled pipeline of workers. Our state has the framework, demand, and number of students who would benefit from training in the trades to do this. Lawmakers should take note of voices like Todd’s—by elevating CTE in Tennessee schools, we can increase support for employers and improve workforce readiness for students across the state.