Career and technical schools play a key role in the state's education system. There are 85 technical schools in Pennsylvania, providing an education to more than 53,000 students last school year. A student who earns a high school degree in career and technical education will have more earning power than someone with a general diploma, said Chester Wichowski, associate director of Temple's Center for Professional Development in Career and Technical Education. "We are running into shortages of trades people — a good mechanic, plumber or electrician can do pretty well, and these are jobs that aren't exported offshore," he said.