FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2016

Media Contact: Jarrod Nagurka
703-683-9312; jnagurka@acteonline.org

ACTE Statement on Results of PDK Education Poll 

Alexandria, VA – Today, Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK) released the results of their 48th annual poll of the public’s attitudes toward public schools. The 2016 poll is based on a 50-state representative sample of more than 1,200 adults. The poll found that 68 percent of respondents prioritize “offering more career-technical or skills-based classes” for schools in their local community. Additionally, 90 percent of respondents believe it is an extremely or very important local public school objective to help students “develop good work habits,” the highest-scoring response for that survey question.

“The results of the PDK poll prove yet again that the American public overwhelmingly supports expanding and enhancing career and technical education (CTE) options and availability,” said ACTE executive director LeAnn Wilson. “Now, Congress has the opportunity to build on the hard work of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and act on the public’s strong support for CTE by passing H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act.”

Wilson continued, “H.R. 5587 reauthorizes and makes important updates to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which provides resources to all 50 states and thousands of local CTE programs. Reaffirming congressional support for CTE by passing H.R. 5587 this year would be a critical step in response to this poll and the public’s clear demand for robust CTE programs.”

For more information and full results of the PDK poll, visit pdkintl.org.

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About ACTE: The Association for Career and Technical Education is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: August 16, 2016
Contact: Alisha Hyslop
ahyslop@acteonline.org, (703) 683-9331

Bob Funk Named 2017 ACTE Business Leader of the Year

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and its Board of Directors announce the 2017 ACTE Business Leader of the Year: Bob Funk of Express Employment Professionals. The ACTE Business Leader of the Year award celebrates the contributions and achievements of an executive from the business community who has demonstrated a solid and sustained commitment to improving career and technical education (CTE).

Funk is co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. With international headquarters located in Oklahoma City, it is one of the largest staffing companies in North America. Under Funk’s leadership, Express has put more than 6 million people to work worldwide and has grown to more than 770 franchises in the United States, Canada and South Africa. Funk’s passion for CTE comes from years of fulfilling staffing needs for client companies that consistently acknowledge the growing need for skilled workers. Identifying a need for greater understanding of job market opportunities between educators and students, Express developed the free “Job Genius” educational video series to offer insights to job seekers and students on where and how to find gainful employment. Seeking to further empower the next generation to make knowledgeable education and career decisions, Express partnered with CEV Multimedia to develop online Career Preparedness and Business Office Technology Certifications.

Funk advocates that CTE not only offers the technical and workplace skills needed to succeed in a 21st-century workforce, but it also leads to a rich variety of fulfilling careers. In 2014, he commissioned a white paper that explores the return on investment of traditional academic higher-education degrees compared to CTE alternatives.

Under Funk’s leadership, Express began sponsoring the ACTE Excellence Awards in 2014 as a gesture of support for the work of CTE educators across the nation. Personal financial support and that of Express has exceeded $5 million in student scholarships and teacher professional development grants to CTE, as well as to numerous youth and agricultural organizations. Funk served as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and was also the Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve. Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating says, “Bob Funk is a man of great character and integrity. He is a leader in both business and the community, yet always manages to find time to ‘do more.'”

Funk will be recognized alongside other national ACTE award winners on Nov. 30 at the annual ACTE Awards Banquet during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. VISION is ACTE’s signature event, with more than 3,000 attendees, career and CTE professionals from across the country. For more information on the Excellence Awards and the Awards Banquet, visit www.acteonline.org/awards.

About ACTE
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.

About Express Employment Professionals
Express Employment Professionals puts people to work.It generated $3.02 billion in sales and employed a record 500,002 people in 2015. Its long-term goal is to put a million people to work annually. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com.

June 28, 2016

National CTE Organizations Weigh In on House Perkins Reauthorization Efforts
House Education and the Workforce Committee releases bipartisan draft legislation, begins reauthorization process

Alexandria, VA – The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) and Advance CTE today commended the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s release of the “Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21^st Century Act,” a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

“We applaud our partners in Congress for their work to begin the Perkins reauthorization process in releasing this bill, as well as the spirit of bipartisanship that has made that work possible,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “We can now turn our attentions to carefully examining the legislative language to ensure that the priorities of CTE students and professionals will be supported throughout the new law. We look forward to continuing to work with committee leaders as the reauthorization process unfolds, as America’s students, workforce and economy deserve nothing less than a thoughtful new bill.”

We are encouraged by this important step towards reauthorizing Perkins,  said Kimberly Green, Advance CTE Executive Director.  “Helping all learners successfully navigate pathways to post secondary education and careers is a national priority shared by state leaders, educators, employers and Congress and Perkins has a critical role in achieving this goal. We appreciate the bipartisan efforts that went into drafting this bill and look forward to working to ensure the reauthorized bill helps increase access to and success in high-quality CTE programs.”

Both organizations remain committed to working with the House Education and the Workforce Committee, as well as their partners in the U.S. Senate, to find a path forward for Perkins.

Contact:
Sean Lynch, ACTE
slynch@acteonline.org
703-683-9312

Katie Fitzgerald, Advance CTE
kfitzgerald@careertech.org
301-588-9630

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 16, 2016
Contact: Sean Lynch
703-683-9312, slynch@acteonline.org

Michigan ACTE Unifies with National Career and Technical Education Association

Alexandria, VA – The national Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) congratulates the Michigan Association for Career and Technical Education (MI-ACTE) on its decision to formally unify with the national organization. Through the leadership of MI-ACTE President Dr. Brian Pyles and its Board of Directors, the state-based association successfully refreshed its governance structure and affiliated itself with the national body to the benefit of career and technical education (CTE) professionals throughout the state.

Because of the decision to unify, MI-ACTE members can also now concurrently join both their state and national professional membership associations. In doing so, MI-ACTE has secured access for its members to the national association’s extensive professional development resources, public policy advocacy and leadership opportunities, as well as a stronger voice in the national conversation on CTE and education.

“ACTE’s Board of Directors and I are proud to welcome Michigan ACTE to our national community,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “By connecting Michigan’s efforts with those from other states through our national organization, we can work together to ensure every student has access to CTE that will prepare them for college and career success.”

MI-ACTE’s move comes after a successful series of moves to strengthen their state association, from developing a more effective organizational constitution and set of bylaws, building a diverse and knowledgeable board and reevaluating its public communications strategies.

“Transitioning Michigan ACTE to officially affiliate and unify with our national partners will foster collaboration and further promote the work underway in our great state. We are looking forward to ACTE’s support to ensure that our members receive unparalleled opportunities as professionals and supporters of the CTE community,” said Dr. Pyles.

About Us: The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.

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February 9, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2016
Contact: Sean Lynch, ACTE, slynch@acteonline.org, 703-683-9312
Katie Fitzgerald, NASDCTEc, kfitzgerald@careertech.org, 301-588-9630

Obama Administration Emphasizes Skills Training in Final Budget Request,
CTE Leaders Say More Needs to Be Done

Alexandria, VA – In its final budget request to Congress, the Obama Administration has proposed to invest billions of dollars in programs and initiatives designed to prepare students and workers for success in the global economy. The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium  (NASDCTEc) and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) agree that our nation’s economic competitiveness depends on the talent, skills and innovation of the American workforce, and that more must be done to help all students achieve their career goals.

The proposals in the president’s budget to invest in youth jobs programs, apprenticeships, education and workforce data systems, STEM education and incentivizing business involvement would all serve to help individuals prepare for careers that employers nationwide are currently struggling to fill.

However, the president’s budget neglects the foundation of the country’s education and workforce development system – career and technical education (CTE). The proposed budget would fund the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) grants to states at almost $170 million below its FY 2007 level – one of the program’s lowest funding levels in a decade. Once adjusted for inflation, this amounts to a 23 percent decline in Perkins state funding despite Perkins-funded CTE programs’ proven track record, and the growing need for resources to serve millions of CTE students nationwide.

“Across the country, many existing high-quality CTE programs have waiting lists. Rather than just making new investments in new programs, we believe it is just as important to recognize and invest in existing programs that have a proven record of success, such as Perkins,” said NASDCTEc Executive Director, Kimberly Green.

“ACTE recognizes the importance of strengthening the country’s education and workforce development systems, and supports the goals of the Administration’s budget request. However, we continue to emphasize that CTE programs that rely on Perkins cannot be asked to do more with less,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson.

High school and postsecondary CTE programs funded by Perkins help students succeed academically and prepare them for the career success emphasized throughout the budget proposal. For example, according to research from 2013, students enrolled in CTE high schools are more likely to graduate on time, accumulate more credits and successfully complete a college preparatory mathematics sequence. A strong federal investment in Perkins is necessary to ensure all students can explore career opportunities, build skills and follow a pathway to a prosperous future.

NASDCTEc and ACTE remain committed to ensuring equitable access to high-quality CTE and look forward to a thoughtful Congressional appropriations process later this year. As that process continues, both organizations urge Congress to fulfill its commitment to America’s students, employers, educators and the CTE community by increasing its investment in the Perkins Act.

About NASDCTEc
The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) was established in 1920 to represent the state and territory heads of secondary, postsecondary and adult Career Technical Education (CTE) across the nation. NASDCTEc, through leadership, advocacy and partnerships, aims to support an innovative CTE system that prepares individuals to succeed in education and their careers, and poises the United States to flourish in a global, dynamic economy.  www.careertech.org.

About ACTE
The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) is the nation’s largest not-for-profit association committed to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers. ACTE represents the community of CTE professionals, including educators, administrators, researchers, guidance counselors and others at all levels of education. ACTE is committed to excellence in providing advocacy, public awareness and access to resources, professional development and leadership opportunities.

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