Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, 2019

Floor Speech

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Mr. YOUNG. Madam President, I rise today to speak in support of career and technical education, also known as CTE.

As cochair of the Senate CTE Caucus, along with Senators Baldwin, Kaine, and Portman, I am very proud of the work we have done in the Senate to advance CTE and to ensure that our students have the training and the skills needed to succeed in today's ever-changing workforce.

The career and technical education statute was last updated in 2006-- over a decade ago--and it was due for reauthorization 6 years ago. Earlier this week, the Senate passed a historic agreement to update the law and to make a number of important changes. I was proud to help pass this legislation out of the HELP Committee and through the full Senate. Yesterday, the House also passed this reauthorization, sending it to the President's desk.

Here are just a few reasons why investing in CTE is so critical to our country. By 2020, 30 percent of job openings will require some college or a 2-year degree. In the next 10 years, 3 million workers will be required for the Nation's infrastructure needs. We know that high school students who take CTE classes have higher graduation rates, and they are more likely to find employment or attain higher education. Postsecondary CTE programs are also a proven, cost-effective means to obtain a credential or other form of degree.

So it is worth noting that this reauthorization of our Nation's career and technical education law includes important components from legislation introduced by our Senate CTE Caucus.

The Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act and the Perkins Fund for Equity and Excellence Act are just two key bills that help align CTE programs with the jobs of tomorrow and ensure that quality is maintained and strengthened in our CTE programs.

The reauthorization also includes provisions from a bill I helped introduce with Senator Peters to support training for career guidance and academic counselors so they can help inform students of opportunities in the workforce, and it includes a measure Senator Gillibrand and I worked on to encourage professional development change and hands-on learning approaches like makerspaces, which provide students the tools and space needed to build, create, and learn critical skills.

In conclusion, we critically need to update the law to reflect the current and future workforce. I am pleased the House overwhelmingly passed the Senate CTE bill, and I look forward to it becoming law very soon.

Thank you.

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