Language Is an Economic Asset-Global Career Tech Education Podcast Ep. 73 w/Michael Herrera

Language Is an Economic Asset-Global Career Tech Education Podcast Ep. 73 w/Michael Herrera

In Episode 73 of the Global CTE Podcast, host Sylvester Chisom sits down with Michael Herrera, Ed.D., Executive Director of Upper Bucks County Technical School, for a deep conversation on how Career and Technical Education can drive real economic mobility. Together, they explore why alignment, not intention, is often the missing ingredient in education systems and how language becomes an economic asset when it is credentialed and trusted by employers. This episode reframes CTE as modern infrastructure designed to turn interest into impact, skills into wages, and education into dignity and opportunity.

Top 5 Topics Covered:

-Alignment Drives Economic Mobility

-One Talent Pipeline, Not Three

-Closing the Interest to Impact Gap

-Language as an Economic Asset

-CTE as Modern Civil Rights Infrastructure

Michael Herrera Bio:

Michael Herrera, Ed.D. is a senior education and workforce systems leader with more than two decades of experience working at the intersection of policy, practice, and economic mobility. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Upper Bucks County Technical School, where he leads a multi-district public CTE system focused on outcomes, accountability, and employer trust. Michael’s work centers on designing career-connected systems that translate education into real economic opportunity, including aligning technical skills, language, and work-based learning into a single talent pipeline. He is a national board member of the Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) and a leading voice on treating language as an economic asset when it is credentialed and trusted by employers.

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