Penn State University Women's Volleyball

Floor Speech

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Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today the United States ranks 12th in the world in the percentage of 25-34 year olds achieving post-high school degrees. We need to make changes that help keep students engaged in their futures while also ensuring our educational programs are adequately preparing students for the jobs of the 21st century.

Career and technical education, CTE, programs are proven to help keep students more engaged in the classroom and less likely to drop out of high school, and to help meet the needs of high-growth, skill-intensive industries looking for the next generation of workers. The U.S. Department of Education announced that the average U.S. high school graduation rate is 80 percent, while the graduation rate for students in CTE concentrations is higher than 90 percent. 81 percent of high school dropouts say real-world learning opportunities would have kept them in school.

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act is a major source of Federal support for the development of career and technical skills among secondary and postsecondary students. Last reauthorized in 2006, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act needs to be modernized to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce and ensure that students have access to the highest-quality CTE programs.

This is why I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues, Senator PORTMAN and Senator BALDWIN, the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which would amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to raise the quality of CTE programs. This legislation defines what constitutes a rigorous CTE curriculum and requires Perkins grant recipients to incorporate key high-quality elements in their programs including credit-transfer opportunities; academic and technical skills assessments; training tools that align with today's industries; CTE-focused professional development for teachers, administrators, and counselors; and CTE curriculum alignment with local, regional, and State workforce demands. Additionally, the bill improves links between high school and postsecondary education to help ease attainment of an industry recognized credential, license, apprenticeship, or postsecondary certificate to obtain a job in a high-demand career field and promotes partnerships between local businesses, and other community stakeholders to create pathways for students through work-based learning opportunities.

When I was Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I worked on a number of educational issues, but one that I was most proud of was starting the Governor's Career and Technical Academies. At the start of my term as Governor we had nine academies. The Republican Governor who followed me continued the academies, and at the end of his term there were 23. The Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act encourages these models and allows states and localities to use Perkins grant funding to establish CTE-focused academies.

I am proud to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to raise the quality of CTE programs and ensure that high-quality career and technical education helps students develop skills that meet the needs of 21st century employers.

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