180625 cte senate

Published

June 25, 2018

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This letter was sent to all members of the United States Senate in support of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.

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June 25, 2018

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly supports bipartisan legislation expected to be considered by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that would achieve the long-overdue reauthorization of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act and help ensure that America's students acquire the necessary skills to succeed in today’s high-skilled workforce.

The draft of the Committee bill builds upon the voice voted House-passed version, which the Chamber also supported.

Both bills would align career and technical education (CTE) programs to the needs of regional, state, and local labor markets; support effective collaboration between employers and secondary and postsecondary institutions; increase student participation in work-based learning; and foster industry-recognized and postsecondary credentials.

The Senate bill would also improve accountability and data transparency to ensure that CTE programs are adequately preparing students for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

With the American economy near full employment, and with more jobs available than there are workers to fill them, the time to reauthorize CTE is now. The Chamber encourages the Committee to report expeditiously CTE legislation to the full Senate.

Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley

180625 cte senate