At least 16 governors have talked CTE in their State of the State addresses, as of early March, according to the Education Commission of the States. In addition, at least 23 governors are encouraging workforce development initiatives.

The state proposals for CTE include the following:

• Michigan’s Marshall Plan for Talent, introduced by Gov. Rick Snyder, calls for competency-based industry certification programs, equipment grants, school-based career navigators, expanded career exploration tools, scholarships to help low-income adults complete certifications and incentives to encourage current teachers to move into CTE and other critical shortage areas. It builds on the state’s support of CTE through the budget and other policies in 2017.
• Gov. Kate Brown launched Future Ready Oregon, including a request of $300 million for CTE in the 2019-2021 budget, an expansion of hands-on learning to every school district in Oregon and growth in apprenticeship.
• Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Wolf is launching PAsmart to improve education and workforce alignment. The initiative calls for $10 million for CTE and STEM career pathways and $7 million for apprenticeships. This follows upon the commonwealth’s 2017 policies to expand apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships and fund career learning opportunities.
• Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa is budgeting $500,000 to expand high school work-based learning and $1 million to grow Iowa’s apprenticeship program.
• Indiana’s Gov. Eric Holcomb announced a state office for work-based learning and apprenticeship, to double the number of apprenticeship opportunities in the state by 2020.
• Gov. Henry McMaster is asking for an investment of $5 million to create the South Carolina Workforce Partnership, which will link businesses with high schools and technical colleges for work-based learning, dual credit and certificate programs in the skilled trades, focusing on rural areas. He also is requesting $3 million for workforce scholarships and grants to help students earn certificates and associate’s degrees at state technical colleges.
• South Dakota’s Gov. Dennis Daugaard is piloting Career Launch, in which assigned staff will help schools work with employers to develop work-based learning experiences and help students navigate their education and career options.
• Gov. Gina Raimondo announced the Northern Rhode Island Higher Education Center, a public-private partnership to help adult Rhode Islanders get hands-on education leading to a career, and called for a $200,000 investment to sustain the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) initiative.

With these governors’ support, the state outlook for CTE and career readiness in 2018 is bright.

The Senate recently passed, and the House introduced, resolutions officially designating February 2018 as national CTE Month®. In the Senate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the resolution and, with the help of his co-chair colleagues on the Senate CTE Caucus, Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Todd Young (R-IN), recruited a record-breaking number of co-sponsors. Senators from 31 states signed on as co-sponsors, and 13 states had both of their Senators sign on (CA, GA, IL, IN, MI, NH, ND, OH, SD, VA, WA, WV, WY). In total, 45 Senators, including 16 Republicans, 28 Democrats and one Independent were listed on the resolution. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Senate has passed a CTE Month resolution ­— every year since the caucus was founded in 2014!

On the House side, this was the first time since 2008 that a CTE Month resolution was introduced. The House does not bring commemorative resolutions to the floor. This year, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) led the effort to introduce the resolution alongside Rep. Glenn Thompson, his fellow co-chair of the House CTE Caucus. The resolution included 47 cosponsors. Collectively, the cosponsors represent 25 states; the best-represented state was Pennsylvania (6), followed by Washington (4) and California (4). In total, 32 Democrats and 16 Republicans signed on to the resolution.

Last month, ACTE participated in a Senate CTE Caucus briefing on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The HEA supports postsecondary students and institutions nationwide, including two- and four-year degree granting programs, as well as those that culminate in a certificate or other non-degree credential. The law includes major components on student financial assistance, teacher preparation and institutional accreditation.

After the House Education and Workforce Committee passed an HEA reauthorization bill at the end of last year, more congressional action is expected in the coming months. The briefing focused on how a reauthorization of HEA can be used to better reflect the nature of today's postsecondary CTE landscape.

The panel was moderated by Kimberly Green, executive director of Advance CTE: State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work. The panelists included ACTE's legislative and regulatory affairs manager, Mitch Coppes; Northern Virginia Community College's vice president of workforce development, Steven Partridge; and the STEM Education Coalition's executive director, James Brown. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a founding co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, also stopped by the briefing to make remarks.

Panelists discussed how community and technical colleges, along with other subbaccalaureate programs, are preparing learners for today's in-demand jobs. The panel also highlighted pending legislation that could be incorporated as part of an HEA reauthorization, including the JOBS Act, which expands Pell Grant eligibility to shorter term programs while imposing safeguards to ensure quality. Other topics, like career exploration, guidance and advisement, teacher preparation and professional development, the connection between postsecondary education and the workforce, and competency-based education were also mentioned.

ACTE's reauthorization priorities for the HEA can be found here. You can keep up with the latest HEA-related news through the CTE Policy Watch Blog here.

On March 6, the Senate CTE Caucus hosted a reception on Capitol Hill to coincide with ACTE's annual National Policy Seminar. This year, students from seven CTSOs participated and spoke to NPS attendees, congressional staff and policymakers. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) both attended the reception, spoke with students and gave remarks. Representative Dave Loebsack (D-IA) also attended

Each CTSO had a table where they shared some of their work. Presentations varied widely, and included things like pig lungs, sensors to measure moisture in sugar, gas pumps and more. The CTSO students were from Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia. The participating CTSOs were:

• DECA
• Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
• Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA-PBL)
• HOSA-Future Health Professionals
• National FFA Organization
• SkillsUSA
• Technology Student Association (TSA)

Next year's National Policy Seminar will take place from March 25-27, with a Capitol Hill Reception on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. It will be the fifth anniversary of the Senate CTE Caucus and it is not to be missed! We hope you can join us at NPS 2019!

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)

CTSO Students

ACTE has produced a new research-based fact sheet connecting the general workforce skills that employers most need—professionalism, teamwork, critical thinking, oral and written communication, leadership and more—with research demonstrating that CTE helps students develop career readiness and employability skills that have value across industries and career fields.

The research used addresses various aspects of CTE programs, including curriculum, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations and career guidance. Use this fact sheet to show students, parents and others how CTE leads to readiness for all careers!

You can access this one-page publication and ACTE’s other fact sheets online.

Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI), the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional CTE Caucus, are asking their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join them in supporting  federal funding for CTE in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 appropriations bill. Lawmakers who support CTE should sign this letter to the House Appropriations Committees urging a strong federal investment in Perkins.

We need as many members of the House as possible to sign this letter to help ensure that the appropriations committee recognizes the importance of funding CTE. Please take a few minutes to help us in this effort!

ACTE has updated its Sector Sheet on CTE’s role in developing the workforce in hospitality and tourism with the latest on job demand, talent shortages and exemplary CTE programs.  

Hospitality and tourism is vital to the nation’s expanding service economy. The restaurant workforce makes up 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce, and 1.1 to 1.6 million new restaurant jobs are expected by 2027. Hotels are also growing their workforces, while opportunities for event planners are expanding rapidly. Many employees in this sector have built career pathways from entry-level jobs to higher-paying positions: 80 percent of restaurant owners, and 90 percent of restaurant managers, report that their first job in the industry was an entry-level position.

To engage and prepare students for careers in this sector, the Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management program at New Jersey’s Freehold High School, featured in National Geographic, guides students through a four-year course of study, including operating all facets of the on-site Five Star Café. Students graduate with certification from NOCTI, which serves as the assessment provider for the American Culinary Federation; are prepared to earn ServSafe certification; and have opportunities to earn college credit.

On the postsecondary level, students are paving the way for success in the booming hospitality industry in Cleveland through the Hospitality Management program at Cuyahoga Community College, or Tri-C. Classroom learning is supplemented by on-campus restaurants and the new Hospitality Management Center in downtown Cleveland’s revitalized Public Square, featuring multimedia-equipped teaching kitchens and space for local chefs to give demonstrations.

ACTE’s Sector Sheet series is generously supported by Pearson.