[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9704]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak 
about the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st 
Century Act, which will be considered on the floor this afternoon.
  I proudly championed this bill, because I truly believe that passing 
it will be a win for the American worker and for American families.
  Mr. Speaker, America is ready for a win.
  First, I would like to thank the House Education and Workforce 
Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx and Ranking Member Bobby Scott for 
their support in bringing this bill to the floor. I want to thank the 
Democratic lead, Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi; and my colleague 
and CTE Caucus co-chair, Jim Langevin.
  I also want to thank House leadership, including Conference 
Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Leader Kevin McCarthy, Speaker Paul 
Ryan, and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who remains in all of our 
prayers for a full recovery.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation aims to restore rungs on the ladder of 
opportunity, because all Americans deserve a good-paying, family-
sustaining job.
  One of the biggest challenges facing career and technical education 
is the stigma, or the bias, associated with it.
  Through the years, we have seen wrong-headed claims that students 
involved in the trades lacked ambition. These misplaced assumptions are 
slowly subsiding, but not soon enough. We have also seen students 
pushed down the college-for-all pathway that just doesn't work for some 
students.
  CTE, or skills-based education, 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 CTE programs, we will be 
able to connect more educators with industry stakeholders and close the 
skills gap that exists in this country. There are good jobs out there, 
but people need to be qualified and trained to be able to get them.
  Mr. Speaker, we have all met young people who haven't been inspired 
in a traditional classroom setting. We all know people who have lost 
jobs or are underemployed and are looking for good-paying, family-
sustaining jobs. We all know people who are aspiring for a promotion, 
but keep falling short year after year. We all know people who are 
living in poverty. Maybe their families have been living in poverty for 
generations, for so long, they can't remember what put them there in 
the first place. This bill is for every one of these people.
  We have heard the voices of those struggling to find the 
opportunities that they need to get ahead, the voices of those 
struggling to make ends meet. We have seen their frustration. Many are 
stuck in a job market that transformed quickly due to advancements in 
technology, and they have been left behind.
  This bill will change that. It puts emphasis on advancing policies 
that promote good-paying jobs, and I look forward to the House passing 
it this afternoon. I urge my colleagues to support the Strengthening 
Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act so everyone 
from all walks of life can have the opportunity to succeed. It is the 
American way.

                          ____________________