[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