[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S1254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 94--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF CAREER AND 
                       TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH

  Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Portman, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Isakson, Mrs. 
Murray, Mr. Coons, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Brown, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Blumenthal, 
Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Schumer) submitted the following resolution; which 
was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 94

       Whereas a competitive global economy requires workers 
     trained in skilled professions;
       Whereas according to a report by the National Association 
     of Manufacturers, 80 percent of respondents indicated a 
     moderate to severe shortage of qualified skilled production 
     employees, including front-line workers, such as machinists, 
     operators, craft workers, distributors, and technicians;
       Whereas career and technical education is a tried and true 
     solution to ensure that competitive 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, and mathematics (commonly known as 
     ``STEM'') disciplines, nursing, allied health, construction, 
     information technology, energy sustainability, and many other 
     fields that are vital to keeping the United States 
     competitive in the global economy;
       Whereas career and technical education helps the United 
     States meet the very real and immediate challenges of 
     economic development, student achievement, and global 
     competitiveness;
       Whereas 14,000,000 students are enrolled in career and 
     technical education, which exists in every State and includes 
     programs in nearly 1,300 public high schools and 1,700 2-year 
     colleges;
       Whereas 10 of the 20 fastest growing occupations in the 
     United States require an associate's degree or a lesser 
     credential, 13 of the 20 occupations in the United States 
     with the greatest number of projected new jobs require on-
     the-job training and an associate's degree or certificate, 
     and nearly all occupations in the United States require real-
     world skills that can be mastered through career and 
     technical education;
       Whereas career and technical education matches 
     employability skills with workforce demand and provides 
     relevant academic and technical coursework leading to 
     industry-recognized credentials for secondary, postsecondary, 
     and adult learners;
       Whereas career and technical education affords students the 
     opportunity to gain the knowledge, skills, and credentials 
     needed to secure careers in growing, high-demand fields;
       Whereas secondary school students participating in career 
     and technical education are significantly more likely than 
     students not participating in career and technical education 
     to report that they had developed skills during high school 
     in problem solving, project completion, research, 
     mathematics, applying to colleges, work-related contexts, 
     communication, time management, and critical thinking;
       Whereas students at schools with highly integrated rigorous 
     academic and career and technical education programs have 
     significantly higher achievement in reading, mathematics, and 
     science than students at schools with less integrated 
     programs; and
       Whereas the Association for Career and Technical Education 
     has designated February as ``Career and Technical Education 
     Month'' to celebrate career and technical education across 
     the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of Career and Technical 
     Education Month;
       (2) recognizes the importance of career and technical 
     education in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce 
     in the United States; and
       (3) encourages educators, counselors, and administrators to 
     promote career and technical education as an option for 
     students.

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