Preparing Today's Students for Tomorrow's Jobs: A Discussion on Career and Technical Education and Training Programs

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act provides Federal funding to States to support career and technical education or what we call in the business CTE programs. These programs offer high school and community college students the opportunity to gain the skills and experience necessary to compete for jobs in a broad range of fields, including health care, transportation, construction, hospitality, and that is just to name a few. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported more than 8 million Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are still looking for jobs. By strengthening the career and technical education programs funded under the Perkins Act, we can help. We can help more of these young people gain an edge in the workforce. As we begin our discussions on improving the act we must first assess the Federal role in career and technical education. We must also discuss ways to ensure CTE programs are actually effective.