[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S711-S712]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 515--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF ``CAREER AND 
                      TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH''

  Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. Portman, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
Barrasso, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Capito, 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, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hagerty, Ms. Hassan, Mr. 
Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, 
Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Kelly, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. 
Lujan, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, 
Mr. Padilla, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Risch, Mr. Romney, Ms. Rosen, 
Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Ms. Smith, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thune, Mr. Tillis, 
Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker, 
and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 515

       Whereas a competitive global economy requires workers who 
     are prepared for skilled professions;
       Whereas at least 15,000,000 new workers will be needed for 
     the United States' infrastructure in the next decade, 
     including designing, building, and operating transportation, 
     housing, utilities, and telecommunications;
       Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has displaced millions of 
     workers in the United States and fundamentally shifted entire 
     industries within foundational aspects of the economy, 
     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, 
     mathematics, nursing, allied health, construction, 
     information technology, energy sustainability, and many other 
     career fields that are vital in keeping the United States 
     competitive 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 11,000,000 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 
     demand and provides relevant academic and technical 
     coursework leading to industry-recognized credentials for 
     secondary, postsecondary, and adult learners;
       Whereas CTE affords students the opportunity to gain the 
     knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to secure careers 
     in growing, high-demand fields;
       Whereas secondary CTE is associated with a lower 
     probability of dropping out of high school and a higher 
     likelihood of graduating on-time;
       Whereas, according to an American Federation of Teachers 
     poll, 96 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

[[Page S712]]

     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 Education 
     for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115-224), which supports 
     program improvement in secondary and postsecondary CTE 
     programs in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto 
     Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and outlying areas; 
     and
       Whereas February 23, 2022, marks the 105th 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 Federal investment in 
     secondary CTE and laid the foundation for the bipartisan, 
     bicameral support for CTE that continues as of February 2022: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of February 2022 as ``Career 
     and Technical Education Month'' to celebrate career and 
     technical education across the United States;
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of Career and Technical 
     Education Month;
       (3) recognizes the importance of career and technical 
     education in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce 
     in the United States; and
       (4) encourages educators, school counselors, guidance and 
     career development professionals, administrators, and parents 
     to promote career and technical education as a respected 
     option for students.

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