[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11051]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY

  (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, Saturday marked World 
Youth Skills Day. The United Nations General Assembly started this 
initiative to raise awareness about the importance of investing in 
youth skills development.
  Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than 
adults. Young people around the world are exposed to lower quality 
jobs, greater labor market inequities, and a longer school-to-work 
transition period.
  That is why I am pleased this House voted in favor of the 
Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act 
last month. Too often we have seen students pushed down the college-
for-all pathway that just doesn't work for some students.
  CTE has established itself as a path that many 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.
  On World Youth Skills Day, I encourage everyone to consider a career 
in technical education.

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