CTE Month 2022 Closes with House Resolution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

March 1, 2022 

Contact: Jori Houck – jhouck@acteonline.org

 

CTE Month 2022 Closes with House Resolution 

 

Washington, DC— CTE Month 2022 concluded yesterday with a total of 63 Members of Congress cosponsoring the CTE Month 2022 resolution in the House, capping off a successful CTE Month. The resolution was introduced by several members of the House CTE Caucus, including co-chairmen Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), in addition to Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), John Carter (R-TX), Troy Balderson (R-OH), Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Adrian Smith (R-NE). Senate CTE Caucus co-chairs also introduced a companion resolution, which passed the Senate on February 9 with a record 67 cosponsors. The resolutions each highlighted the impact of career and technical education (CTE) programs on learners at all levels, as well as the role of CTE in supporting industries seeking to fill positions in high-demand, high-skill, and high-wage jobs and career fields.

 

“Career and technical education prepares Americans of all ages for good-paying careers in fast-growing sectors of the 21st century economy,” said Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI). “As CTE Month comes to an end, I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my final term in Congress working to expand access to the programs that boost our economy and help hardworking Americans get ahead.”

 

“Career and technical education (CTE) has established itself as a successful career pathway for learners of all ages. Skills-based education allows individuals to gain the tools necessary to earn family-sustaining wages,” said Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA). “As CTE Month ends, we must continue to encourage CTE as an effective workforce strategy. I look forward to supporting policies that close our country’s skills gap and keeps our national economy thriving.”

 

“I’m proud to cosponsor the CTE Month resolution because career and technical education are at the heart of building a skilled American workforce for the economy of the future,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL). CTE has been one of my top legislative focuses since I entered Congress, and I was proud to serve as the lead Democratic sponsor of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act which reformed our federal skills education programs for the first time in over a decade. Supporting and expanding skills-based education is one of the best paths to preparing our students and workers for middle-class, family-sustaining careers while strengthening our entire economy.”

 

“Career and technical education programs are invaluable not only to our students, but to the American economy as a whole. They provide students a pathway to success without having to take on the debt of a 4-year degree and with the skills needed to perform critical trade jobs,” said Rep. John Carter (R-TX). “I am proud to join this resolution honoring National CTE Month and am excited to see what we can accomplish with the future of CTE.”

 

“Career Tech Education Centers play the leading role in equipping our workforce to meet the challenges of Ohio’s modern economy,” said Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH). “CTE Month is a unique opportunity for us to celebrate the work our CTE educators do each and every day to prepare the next generation for success in their careers and in life.”

 

“As a proud product of technical training and an electrician by trade, I couldn’t be happier to celebrate the career and technical programs that are equipping current students with the skills they need to pursue careers in skilled vocations,” said Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ). “Different people need different educational paths. I didn’t go the traditional route. I pursued a registered apprenticeship, learned hands-on, and had a fulfilling career. Students enrolled in technical schools are fortunate to have these career-ready skills when they graduate.”

 

“Career and technical education programs are vital to ensuring America is prepared to meet future challenges,” said Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE). As a former educator, I have long supported CTE to maximize opportunity, help meet workforce demand, and bring discouraged job seekers in from the sidelines of our economy. While a conventional college education is an important path for many, CTE can provide a more direct and cost-effective path to good-paying, high-demand jobs. Recognizing Career and Technical Education Month is an important way to ensure Americans understand the breadth of economic opportunity available across our country.”

 

ACTE conducted a wide variety of activities to mark CTE Month. This February:

 

 

  • ACTE released a new “What is CTE?” infographic to help CTE supporters inform about and advocate for CTE. This resource provides an overview of CTE and highlights the benefits that CTE can provide for students, businesses and communities.

 

  • ACTE and Advance CTE hosted a virtual student panel on February 15 to highlight the value of CTE and hear directly from student representatives of career and technical education student organizations (CTSOs) about the impact CTE has made on their personal and professional goals, career paths and interests. Congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) offered remarks at the event. You can view a recording of the panel and read our recap of the event on the CTE Policy Watch blog.

 

  • CTE stakeholders spanning CTSO student leaders, industry and business partners collaborated to produce a video highlighting CTE from a wide variety of perspectives, shining a spotlight on the need for robust investments in CTE to support learners and the future of CTE.

 

“ACTE would like to thank our Congressional CTE Caucus members for their continued support of CTE and CTE Month, as well as all who have made this month a fantastic celebration of everything that CTE has to offer,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “Throughout CTE Month, we have been reminded of the excellence that CTE inspires in learners, educators and CTE advocates across the country. We look forward to building upon the successes of CTE Month 2022 to continue supporting learners of all ages in obtaining the skills they need to enter and build careers in high-wage, in-demand career fields.”

 

The list of resolution cosponsors, the text of both resolutions and a link to the CTE Month 2022 video are also available below:

 

House of Representatives

 

Cosponsors:

 

– Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12]

– Rep. Axne, Cynthia [D-IA-3]

– Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5]

– Rep. Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [D-GA-2]

– Rep. Bourdeaux, Carolyn [D-GA-7]

– Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11]

– Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]

– Rep. Carter, John R. [R-TX-31]

– Rep. Chabot, Steve [R-OH-1]

– Rep. Cicilline, David N. [D-RI-1]

– Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2]

– Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2]

– Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6]

– Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]

– Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]

– Rep. Doyle, Michael F. [D-PA-18]

– Rep. Emmer, Tom [R-MN-6]

– Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

– Rep. Franklin, C. Scott [R-FL-15]

– Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-3]

– Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6]

– Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6]

– Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2]

– Rep. Hagedorn, Jim [R-MN-1]

– Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16]

– Rep. Kelly, Trent [R-MS-1]

– Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6]

– Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]

– Rep. Kuster, Ann M. [D-NH-2]

– Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3]

– Rep. Lesko, Debbie [R-AZ-8]

– Rep. Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5]

– Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1]

– Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6]

– Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]

– Rep. McKinley, David B. [R-WV-1]

– Rep. Meijer, Peter [R-MI-3]

– Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]

– Rep. Morelle, Joseph D. [D-NY-25]

– Rep. Mrvan, Frank J. [D-IN-1]

– Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

– Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4]

– Rep. Norman, Ralph [R-SC-5]

– Rep. O’Halleran, Tom [D-AZ-1]

– Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4]

– Rep. Reschenthaler, Guy [R-PA-14]

– Rep. Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D-CA-40]

– Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]

– Rep. Schrader, Kurt [D-OR-5]

– Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]

– Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]

– Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]

– Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]

– Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8]

– Rep. Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1]

– Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15]

– Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]

– Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20]

– Rep. Trone, David J. [D-MD-6]

– Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33]

– Rep. Yarmuth, John A. [D-KY-3]

 

Senate

 

Cosponsors:

 

Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]

Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]

Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]

Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]

Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]

Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]

Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]

Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]

Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]

Sen. Braun, Mike [R-IN]

Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]

Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]

Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]

Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]

Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]

Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]

Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]

Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]

Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]

Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]

Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]

Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]

Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]

Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]

Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]

Sen. Hagerty, Bill [R-TN]

Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]

Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]

Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]

Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]

Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]

Sen. Hyde-Smith, Cindy [R-MS]

Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]

Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]

Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]

Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]

Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]

Sen. Lujan, Ben Ray [D-NM]

Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]

Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV]

Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]

Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]

Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]

Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]

Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]

Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]

Sen. Romney, Mitt [R-UT]

Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]

Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD]

Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]

Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]

Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC]

Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]

Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]

Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]

Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]

Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]

Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]

Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]

Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]

Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA]

Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]

Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]

Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]

 

CTE Month Video

 

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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, school counselors, guidance and career development professionals 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.