[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H5654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Smucker). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it has been more than a 
year since the House of Representatives unanimously approved the 
Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.
  I am proud to see that, this week, the Senate Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions Committee will consider career and technical 
education legislation. It is welcome news that this important topic 
will be examined by our congressional colleagues in the United States 
Senate. Career and technical education, or CTE, has helped countless 
men and women acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in 
the workforce.
  By empowering State and local leaders, improving alignment with in-
demand jobs, increasing transparency and accountability, and ensuring a 
limited Federal role, we can modernize and strengthen career and 
technical education and help more individuals build successful and 
fulfilling careers.

                              {time}  1030

  Career and technical education can help restore rungs on the ladder 
of opportunity. All Americans deserve a good-paying, family-sustaining 
job, and they might just need some new skills to get one.
  America is still facing a widening skills gap that puts our workforce 
at a disadvantage to succeed in a 21st century economy. Today, there 
are an estimated 6.7 million jobs that are open and available in the 
United States.
  While companies across the country have openings for high-paying 
jobs, and are anxious to hire, many workers lack the skills and 
adequate education needed to qualify and compete for these jobs, Mr. 
Speaker.
  We have also seen students pushed down the college-for-all pathway. 
That just doesn't work for some students. There are many different 
pathways to success and life in this country.
  One of the biggest challenges facing career and technical education 
is the stigma associated with it. Through the years, we have seen 
wrongheaded claims that students involved in the trades lacked 
ambition. Those misplaced assumptions are slowly subsiding, but not 
soon enough.
  CTE has established itself as a path that many high-achieving 
students choose in pursuit of industry certifications and hands-on 
skills they can use right out of high school, in skills-based education 
programs or in college.
  By modernizing the Federal investment in career and technical 
education programs, we will be able to connect more educators with 
industry stakeholders and close the skills gap in this country. There 
are good jobs out there, but people need to be qualified to get them.
  I remain dedicated to working with my colleagues in the Senate on 
this effort. All education is career education and every American 
deserves a fair shot at learning the right skills to obtain a good-
paying job.

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