[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2464]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, February is Career and 
Technical Education Month.
  As co-chairman of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, and as a 
senior member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I have 
long been aware of the importance of CTE programs that provide learners 
of all ages with career-ready skills.
  From agriculture to the arts, from marketing to manufacturing, CTE 
programs work to develop America's most valuable resource--its people.
  CTE is taught in a range of settings, from high schools and area 
technical centers, to technical and 2-year community colleges. In 
total, 12.5 million high school and college students are enrolled in 
CTE programs across the Nation.
  Last Congress, I was proud to introduce the Strengthening Career and 
Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. This bill, which passed 
the House by a vote of 405-5, aimed to close the skills gap by 
modernizing the Federal investment in CTE programs and connecting 
educators with industry stakeholders.
  I look forward to reintroducing similar legislation this Congress and 
I remain committed to working with the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. 
Langevin), my CTE Caucus co-chair and good friend, to improve our 
Nation's career and technical education system.

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