[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 27, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF THE DOWNRIVER CAREER TECHNICAL CONSORTIUM'S 50TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2016

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Downriver 
Career Technical Consortium on their 50th Anniversary. As a Member of 
Congress, it is an honor and privilege to recognize their commitment to 
providing first class career development and vocational training to 
students from across our community.
  In 1965, the school districts of Flat Rock, Gibraltar, and Grosse Ile 
launched eight jointly funded and supported vocational education 
programs, beginning the efforts of working and coordinating together 
these types of services between school entities, to better leverage and 
utilize resources among them. In the next few years, more school 
districts joined the effort including; Huron Schools, Airport Schools, 
Woodhaven-Brownstown Schools, Riverview Schools, Trenton Schools, Allen 
Park Schools and Southgate Schools. In 1978, the then current coalition 
of schools was approved as the Downriver Area Vocational Cooperative 
and was renamed the Downriver Career Technical Consortium (DCTC) in 
1991. This type of cooperation and coordination is a hallmark of the 
success our Downriver communities, where leaders from across municipal, 
non-profit, business and educational institutions, have had in 
understanding the importance of working together to support and build 
our regional economy.
  Today, the DCTC provides vocational programming in over 24 different 
career pathways including building and construction trades, accounting 
and finance, aviation, automotive services, communications, 
hospitality, dental occupations, and computer aided design, just to 
name a few. Not only is it important for our economy, but this type of 
vocational training is instrumental to the futures of our students who 
pursue these pathways. In an ever changing global economic environment, 
programs such as the DCTC allow our students and future workforce to be 
trained for the jobs of the 21st century and realize the American 
dream.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today to honor the DCTC 
on their 50th Anniversary and to wish them many more years of 
successful education and collaboration.

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