News Article
Futurist takes Norfolkans on journey to 2026
High school students, pay attention.
If you want a good job with a guaranteed future, go into the medical profession.
No, you don't have to be a doctor. You could be a physician's assistant, home health aide, physical therapist's aid or take your pick from a long list of medical professions that are expected to grow by leaps and bounds in the next few years.
That's the opinion of Dr. Marvin Cetron of Washington, D.C., who took a approximately 250 people on a journey into the future Monday night.
Cetron, founder and president of Forecasting International, was the guest of Visioning 2026, a coalition of entities - including the Norfolk Daily News, Northeast Community College, Norfolk Public Schools, Norfolk Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Norfolk, Madison County and Leadership Norfolk -\!q that is interested in helping prepare Norfolk and Madison County for the future.
Cetron didn't jump into a time machine and project himself and the audience at Johnny Carson Theatre into the year 2026.
Instead, he explained that he and his associates use quantitative data and research to predict trends that will affect business, industry, military and society in general.
In a "tell-it-like-it-is" style, Cetron let the audience know that the future is in education.
Cetron advocated for vocational schools that can teach students how to repair and maintain the high-tech equipment that is being used in industry and medical fields. He pushed for high-tech vocational education classes already the eighth grade.
He also suggested more classes and organizations - such as Junior Achievement - that teach children how to become entrepreneurs.
And teachers, he said, should receive merit pay based on students' performance.
"They (teachers) need to spend 10 to 12 hours a week mentoring other teachers . . . and students who aren't making the grade, need more personal time," he said.
Having students memorize facts and figures so they can recite it on a test isn't the answer. Instead, he said "kids need to learn where to find the data and how to use the data so they can become entrepreneurs."
"Education is the bottom line . . . or we'll lose our kids," he said.
Cetron, who had a 20-year career in research, development and planning with the U.S. Navy before launching Forecasters International, touched on other "futuristic" topics, including business opportunities that community leaders could explore.
Among those suggestions was a theme park that would show life as it was when Nebraska was part of the Wild West, and a Club Medical-type of facility where people who don't have insurance could combine obtaining low-cost health care with a vacation.
He strongly suggested that community leaders look locating a manufacturing plant in Madison County that would produce RFID (radio frequency identification) tags - and that it should be built with federal Homeland Security funds.
The tags, similar to bar codes currently found on grocery items, can store and report almost any type of information,
While the tags have a multitude of uses, including tracking merchandise shipped overseas, Cetron said they are especially useful for monitoring cattle from birth to the time they enter the food chain.
And Nebraska, he said, produces much of the beef in the United States.
"Homeland Security should be building a plant right here," he added.
After his 40-minute talk, Cetron answered a variety of questions from the audience.
Without a crystal ball, Cetron predicted that Hillary Clinton would not be the next president and that members of younger generations will continue to move from job to job so they can step up the corporate ladder quickly.
And Norfolk, he said, needs to entice business and industry to town by promoting its quality of life.
"Your values are great . . . living styles are great. If education is great, they will come," he said.
0 people have commented on this article
Be the first to comment on this post using the form below.