A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of "Career and Technical Education Month".

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 91 Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘Career and Technical Education Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 3, 2021 Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. BAR- RASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOZ- MAN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. BROWN, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CARPER, Mr. CASEY, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. ERNST, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mrs. FISCHER, Ms. HASSAN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PETERS, Mr. RISCH, Mr. ROMNEY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SAND- ERS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNER, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of ‘‘Career and Technical Education Month’’. Whereas a competitive global economy requires workers who are prepared for skilled professions; Whereas 3,000,000 workers will be needed for the United States’ infrastructure in the next several years, including designing, building, and operating transportation, hous- ing, utilities, and telecommunications; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR91.ATS SR91 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 91 ATS Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has displaced millions of workers in the United States and fundamentally shifted entire industries within foundational aspects of the econ- omy, creating significant demands for high-quality and efficient upskilling and reskilling opportunities to ensure a quick and equitable recovery; Whereas career and technical education (referred to in this preamble as ‘‘CTE’’) ensures that competitive and skilled workers are ready, willing, and capable of holding jobs in high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand career fields such as science, technology, engineering, art and design, mathe- matics, nursing, allied health, construction, information technology, energy sustainability, and many other career fields that are vital in keeping the United States competi- tive in the global economy; Whereas CTE helps the United States meet the very real and immediate challenges of economic development, student achievement, and global competitiveness; Whereas the United States has 30,000,000 jobs providing an average income of $55,000 per year that do not require a bachelor’s degree yet increasingly require some level of postsecondary education; Whereas over 12,800,000 students are enrolled in CTE across the country at the secondary and postsecondary levels, with CTE programs in thousands of CTE centers, comprehensive high schools, career academies, and CTE high schools, and nearly 1,000 2-year colleges; Whereas CTE matches employability skills with workforce de- mand and provides relevant academic and technical coursework leading to industry-recognized credentials for secondary, postsecondary, and adult learners; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR91.ATS SR91 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 91 ATS Whereas CTE affords students the opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to secure ca- reers in growing, high-demand fields; Whereas secondary CTE is associated with a lower prob- ability of dropping out of high school and a higher likeli- hood of graduating on-time; Whereas according to an American Federation of Teachers poll, 94 percent of parents approve of expanding access to CTE and other programs that prepare students for jobs; Whereas students at schools with highly integrated rigorous academic and CTE programs are significantly more likely to meet college and career readiness benchmarks than students at schools with less integrated programs; Whereas, in 2018, Congress affirmed the importance of CTE by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Edu- cation for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115–224), which supports program improvement in secondary and postsecondary CTE programs in all 50 States, the Dis- trict of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and outlying areas; and Whereas, February 23, 2019, marked the 102nd anniversary of the signing of the Act of February 23, 1917 (39 Stat. 929, commonly known as the ‘‘Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act of 1917’’), which was the first major Fed- eral investment in secondary CTE and laid the founda- tion for the bipartisan, bicameral support for CTE that continues as of February 2021: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports the designation of February 2021 2 as ‘‘Career and Technical Education Month’’ to cele- 3 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR91.ATS SR91 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 91 ATS brate career and technical education across the 1 United States; 2 (2) supports the goals and ideals of Career and 3 Technical Education Month; 4 (3) recognizes the importance of career and 5 technical education in preparing a well-educated and 6 skilled workforce in the United States; and 7 (4) encourages educators, school counselors, 8 guidance and career development professionals, ad- 9 ministrators, and parents to promote career and 10 technical education as a respected option for stu- 11 dents. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR91.ATS SR91 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS