[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 21, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 12245-12246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05878]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 21, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 12245]]


                Proclamation 9707 of March 16, 2018

                
Vocational-Technical Education Week, 2018

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Across our great Nation, vocational-technical schools 
                prepare Americans for careers in critical sectors of 
                our economy, including manufacturing, construction, and 
                technology fields. These industries are essential to 
                our Nation's prosperity and security, as well as to our 
                success in the competitive global marketplace. During 
                Vocational-Technical Education Week, we highlight the 
                important role that vocational and technical education 
                plays in lifting up our communities and putting 
                millions of Americans on the road to success.

                As I said in the State of the Union Address, my 
                Administration is focused on investing in workforce 
                development, especially as the recent tax cuts spur 
                major job creation across the country. Today, 5.9 
                million American jobs are unfilled, and more than 
                350,000 of them are in manufacturing. Our Nation needs 
                skilled workers to fill these roles, but the cost of 
                postsecondary education continues to rise while many 
                colleges and universities fail to adequately equip 
                students with skills that align with the jobs in 
                demand. Businesses large and small routinely observe 
                that they cannot find qualified applicants to fill 
                their vacancies. Vocational-technical schools help 
                students explore their passions and enter the workforce 
                with the necessary competencies to secure well-paying, 
                family-sustaining jobs.

                My Administration recognizes the importance of 
                increasing access to education, which is why my 
                infrastructure proposal includes important reforms that 
                will make it easier for Americans to access affordable, 
                relevant, and high-quality education that leads to 
                full-time work and long-term careers. It also includes 
                initiatives related to workforce development. 
                Specifically, my proposal would allow students to use 
                Pell Grant funding to pay for cutting-edge, short-term 
                programs that lead to quick and efficient transitions 
                into the workforce. My proposal also calls on the 
                Congress to reauthorize the Perkins Career and 
                Technical Education program and to improve it by making 
                it easier for schools to partner with local businesses 
                to expand apprenticeships, other forms of skills-based 
                learning, and dual-enrollment programs. Further, I have 
                called for reforming the Federal Work-Study program so 
                that more Federal dollars go toward helping students--
                especially lower-income students--have more meaningful 
                workplace experiences. Through a combination of 
                administrative and legislative actions, my 
                Administration is seeking to train the workforce of 
                today for both the challenges and developments of 
                tomorrow.

                Vocational-Technical Education Week reminds us to 
                consider how we can help all Americans achieve the 
                American Dream, by providing opportunities for all of 
                our citizens to secure employment, success, and 
                fulfillment. American strength and prosperity truly 
                rely upon the educational advancement opportunities we 
                make available to our Nation's youth.

                NOW, THERFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim March 18 through 
                March 24, 2018, as Vocational-Technical Education Week. 
                I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, 
                and all Americans to observe this week with

[[Page 12246]]

                appropriate ceremonies and activities designed to 
                highlight the benefits of quality vocational-technical 
                education.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2018-05878
Filed 3-20-18; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P