Bill 2023 H-5343 compliments earlier legislation Sanchez introduced mandating all Rhode Island public high schools provide courses in food preparation and nutrition annually. This latest bill will be aimed at classes in pre-engineering, welding, and cosmetology. Sanchez explained his actions saying:
"We have thousands of students going through our public schools who don’t have access to any technical or vocational training. They graduate high school with no practical skills.”
Brochure printers are helpful in the creation of course descriptions as well as pamphlets providing employment information including subsets of jobs and their salary projections.
He pointed out that many well-paying jobs that do not require a college degree are available in commercial baking, carpentry, and plumbing, among other areas. He emphasized that schools need to teach life skills such as personal finance nutrition and civics, and not simply educate children for the purpose of getting them ready for college.
The Rhode Island Department of Education, according to Sanchez, does not presently require schools to offer technical or vocational training. He also noted that of Providence’s eight public high schools, only one, the Providence Career and Technical Academy even offers this type of training.