[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 148 (Thursday, October 8, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7275-S7276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Portman, and Mrs. 
        Capito):
  S. 2174. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 
for the preparation of career and technical education teachers; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, in today's increasingly competitive global 
economy, America's success will depend on the talent of its workforce. 
In cultivating the workforce necessary to succeed, we need to look at 
ways to expand opportunities for students, and refocus our Nation's 
education strategy to meet the demands of the industry in the 21st 
century. Career and technical education, CTE, programs play a vital 
role in increasing student engagement, continuing our nation's economic 
competitiveness, and building the skills of our country's workforce.
  We are beginning to see a renaissance of student interest in career 
and technical education, but school districts across the Nation are 
facing critical shortages in high-quality CTE teachers. While the 
Higher Education and Opportunity Act of 2008 provides grants for 
teacher residency partnership programs to colleges and universities who 
work with high-needs school districts to train prospective teachers, no 
CTE-focused partnerships exist.
  That is why I am introducing with my colleagues, Senator Baldwin, 
Senator Portman and Senator Capito the Creating Quality Technical 
Educators Act, which would create a CTE teacher-training grant 
partnership to give aspiring CTE teachers the experience necessary to 
mirror their success in the business world with that in the classroom. 
This legislation would foster teacher training partnerships between 
high-needs secondary schools and post-secondary institutions to create 
a 1-year residency initiative for teachers and includes teacher 
mentorship for a minimum of 2 years. When CTE teachers have work 
experience in a related industry before entering the classroom, 
students not only

[[Page S7276]]

benefit from their hands-on knowledge, but also look to them as career 
models.
  The Creating Quality Technical Educators Act would amend the Higher 
Education and Opportunity Act to give aspiring CTE teachers real-world 
experience and develop credible skills to apply in the classroom. This 
bipartisan bill takes a proactive approach to recruiting and training 
more high-quality CTE teachers. In addition to mid-career professionals 
in related technical fields, CTE teacher residencies would target 
teacher candidates who are recent college graduates, veterans, and 
currently licensed teachers with a need for technical skills training 
who seek to become transition into CTE fields.
  As co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, I am proud to introduce this 
commonsense, bipartisan legislation to recruit and train talented 
teachers to meet the rising need for CTE. The Creating Quality 
Technical Educators Act takes an important step to ensure students in 
communities of all sizes have access to high-quality CTE teachers and 
career-training programs.
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