Section 52910.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:

(a) That California's present employment preparation and career education programs need to be strengthened and expanded to meet the needs of employers for a skilled work force and student and employee demands for career-vocational preparation and occupational training, including the use of computers and other technologies.

(b) That changes occurring in California's economy make it imperative that there be available a work force with the personal and occupational skills and knowledge to productively support new economic and technological developments. The Legislature also finds a need to improve coordination among the many service providers funded by federal and state funds to avoid unnecessary duplication of programs and services.

(c) That it is in the best interest of the state to provide all students with a cohesive and well articulated system of career-vocational preparation and occupational training which prepares students for roles as family members and community members, leaders, and productive workers. The Legislature also finds that the alternative means authorized in subdivision (b) of Section 51225.3 are currently being underutilized by school districts.

(d) That students in California's public schools face inadequate access to quality career-vocational preparation and occupational training programs, and declares that providing high quality curriculum and instruction in this area is a high priority of the state. The Legislature believes that all students should be prepared with basic job entry skills at the completion of their schooling.

(e) That every student shall attain a minimum of 12 years of systematic study or its equivalent that effectively prepares the student to enter college, a job, or advanced preparation.

(f) That the number of pupils who drop out of school is excessive and detrimental to the public interest, as is the excessively high rate of unemployment among youths.

(g) That dropping out of school reduces a young person's potential for future employment and income, and depresses the productivity of the state's economy.

(h) That it is in the state's best interests to provide all pupils with a cohesive, defined, and well-articulated system of career education and job training.

(i) That pupils enrolled in public intermediate, secondary, and postsecondary schools face diminished access to quality vocational and career educational programs, and that the provision of a high quality curriculum and course of instruction in these areas are a high priority within the state.

(j) That a pupil's pursuit of career education programs in secondary schools and their use to satisfy the requirements for admission to baccalaureate postsecondary educational programs should not be mutually exclusive.

(k) That vocational education and basic academic skills should not be viewed as competitive or alternative programs, but rather should be viewed as complementary educational programs.

(l) That there are many opportunities, particularly for pupils who are not college bound, to obtain basic academic skills in an applied manner through vocational education programs.

It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to require that all pupils enrolled in the public schools be afforded the best possible opportunity to complete the equivalent of 12 years of systematic training to enable him or her to graduate from high school, in a manner which will enable him or her to advance to a college or university and to meet entry-level requirements for a chosen occupational field. The Legislature recognizes that in order to graduate from high school, pupils must complete the prescribed course of study of sufficient rigor and duration as necessary to enable them to effectively function as family members, citizens, leaders, and working members of their communities.

(Amended by Stats. 1990, Ch. 519, Sec. 2. Note: Chapter 13 (Section 52910 et seq.) was repealed on Jan. 1, 1991, pursuant to former Section 52914.)