    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    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

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    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 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.
    DONALD J. TRUMP