Higher education is about to have Its “Back to the Future” moment. | Peter Taylor | TEDxUCLA

There are many paths to take in terms of education after high school. Yet, in the United States​,​ we mainly see one, the 4-year university degree. What are the other paths less seen, and what might it look like if more traveled these less recognized paths? Peter Taylor is the president of ECMC Foundation. In his role, Mr. Taylor has led more than $90 million of investments in initiatives affecting educational outcomes, especially among underserved populations, in the areas of college success and career readiness.
Before joining ECMC Foundation, Mr. Taylor served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for the University of California system. During his time there, he oversaw all aspects of financial management at the 10 campuses and the five academic medical centers. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@rahulrazdan1]

Very nice talk. CTE is good. In reality, we need an "on-demand" inexpensive education system where people can reskill as needed. It is all possible, but a significant impediment is the current education bureaucracy which is supported by the broader society's inflexible view on education. Great insight on that front.

[@kensummers9401]

Peter Taylor makes many persuasive arguments for CTE, or "vocational studies." A first step he might add is making high school students aware of junior colleges offering the programs that might interest them. Los Angeles Trade and Technical College offers (and has offered for a long time) many excellent degrees and programs to students in Los Angeles County for modest tuition. Perhaps high school counselors don't even mention such alternatives to some students because they make assumptions about students' desires and interests based on their grades and SAT scores. However, I suspect there are many high school students channeled to four-year college programs who would consider alternative careers if they knew about the CTE programs available, even if they seem good candidates for the more traditional four-year route.