Senate Passes Young Resolution Recognizing February as Career and Technical Education Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced that yesterday the Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing February 2021 as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month. The resolution was sponsored by the co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, Senators Young, Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). A broad, bipartisan group of 50 senators cosponsor the resolution.

“In communities throughout Indiana, career and technical education (CTE) provides Hoosier students with hands-on experience and real world skills to better prepare them for jobs of the 21st century,” said Senator Young. “The pandemic has put a strain on the Hoosier workforce, so it is important that we raise awareness for the pivotal role CTE plays to addressing the skills gap and providing upward mobility for all Americans.”

“Health care, shipbuilding, cyber security, energy—the fields CTE can prepare a student for are seemingly endless. CTE Month is a time to raise awareness about the opportunities CTE can provide and communicate the importance of investing in it,” said Senator Kaine.

“Raising awareness to Career and Technical Education is key if we are going to continue to make progress toward ensuring that more Americans have the skills needed to match our growing workforce needs,” said Senator Portman. “As co-chair of the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, I believe that we have a duty to make 21st century skills training more accessible and affordable. I will continue my work at the federal level to make sure that Washington is an effective partner with local communities in providing Americans with the skills training they need to succeed.” 

 “I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to highlight the importance of career and technical education.  The only way we can meet workforce readiness challenges effectively, is if we have strong public-private partnerships that are supported by a Congress working across party lines. We are showing that commitment with this Senate Resolution,” said Senator Baldwin. “We know that CTE is one of the most effective vehicles for responding to labor market changes and the workforce readiness needs of business. Now we need to do more to support CTE students so that they are better equipped for the high-skilled jobs of today and tomorrow.”

Senator Young supported advancement of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which became law in 2018 and included a number of provisions championed by the CTE Caucus to improve quality and access for CTE programs across the country.

Last Congress, Senators Young and Kaine introduced the ACCESS to CAREERS Act, to provide resources to states and community colleges in order to address the evolving demands of the labor market through boosting student success and career readiness. Last July, the senators also sent a letter to Senate leadership expressing support for including the legislation in pandemic relief legislation.

Full text of the resolution is available here.  

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