WASHINGTON, D.C [07/24/18]—U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said today that several provisions she authored to improve career and technical education passed a key hurdle with Senate passage Monday night. The bill would expand opportunities for young people who are looking for high-skill jobs that don’t require a four-year college degree.
The bill passed with bipartisan support in the Senate Monday night.
“Every student should be able to get the skills necessary to prepare for their future and create opportunity—but that doesn’t mean everyone wants to or has to go to a four-year college,” said Sen. Smith, a member of the Senate Education Committee. “This bipartisan bill will help students obtain high-skill, in-demand jobs through career and tech education, and it will help businesses and manufacturers hire the workers they need. I’ll keep working to get this signed into law.”
You can access full text of the bill here. The legislation includes efforts championed by Sen. Smith to:
(1) Help recruit CTE teachers, including those with industry experience, and assist them in getting properly licensed and credentialed
(2) Expand career exploration activities to middle schools;
(3) Protect rural, under-resourced, or small school districts by preserving the current method that states use in distributing funds;
(4) Increase authorization levels for Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE).
Workforce issues have been a priority for Sen. Smith. Earlier this year she introduced the Investing in 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act and cosponsored the Community College to Career Fund Act. In March, she kicked off a series of listening sessions across the state to talk with Minnesotans about expanding workforce development opportunities.
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