[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               EDUCATING TOMORROW'S WORKFORCE ACT OF 2015

  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today the United States ranks 12th in the 
world in the percentage of 25-34 year olds achieving post-high school 
degrees. We need to make changes that help keep students engaged in 
their futures while also ensuring our educational programs are 
adequately preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century.
  Career and technical education, CTE, programs are proven to help keep 
students more engaged in the classroom and less likely to drop out of 
high school, and to help meet the needs of high-growth, skill-intensive 
industries looking for the next generation of workers. The U.S. 
Department of Education announced that the average U.S. high school 
graduation rate is 80 percent, while the graduation rate for students 
in CTE concentrations is higher than 90 percent. 81 percent of high 
school dropouts say real-world learning opportunities would have kept 
them in school.
  The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act is a major 
source of Federal support for the development of career and technical 
skills among secondary and postsecondary students. Last reauthorized in 
2006, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act needs to 
be modernized to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce and 
ensure that students have access to the highest-quality CTE programs.
  This is why I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues, Senator 
Portman and Senator Baldwin, the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act, 
which would amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
Act to raise the quality of CTE programs. This legislation defines what 
constitutes a rigorous CTE curriculum and requires Perkins grant 
recipients to incorporate key high-quality elements in their programs 
including credit-transfer opportunities; academic and technical skills 
assessments; training tools that align with today's industries; CTE-
focused professional development for teachers, administrators, and 
counselors; and CTE curriculum alignment with local, regional, and 
State workforce demands. Additionally, the bill improves links between 
high school and postsecondary education to help ease attainment of an 
industry recognized credential, license, apprenticeship, or 
postsecondary certificate to obtain a job in a high-demand career field 
and promotes partnerships between local businesses, and other community 
stakeholders to create pathways for students through work-based 
learning opportunities.
  When I was Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I worked on a 
number of educational issues, but one that I was most proud of was 
starting the Governor's Career and Technical Academies. At the start of 
my term as Governor we had nine academies. The Republican Governor who 
followed me continued the academies, and at the end of his term there 
were 23. The Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act encourages these models 
and allows states and localities to use Perkins grant funding to 
establish CTE-focused academies.
  I am proud to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to 
raise the quality of CTE programs and ensure that high-quality career 
and technical education helps students develop skills that meet the 
needs of 21st century employers.

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