Career Technical Education (CTE) has been getting a lot of attention in Washington, D.C., with news about CTE from Congress, the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the Department of Education and the Administration. Read below to learn more about these items and check out a new video from Advance CTE.
Secretary DeVos Testifies Before House Committee on Education and the Workforce
On May 22, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Education,” during which U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos testified. Members’ questions and comments focused on a variety of topics including school safety, accountability, school choice and more. Several members discussed CTE and asked Secretary DeVos about the need to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins). Secretary DeVos emphasized the need for the Senate to take up reauthorization quickly and to keep the law flexible.
OCTAE Announces New Grant Focused on STEM Apprenticeship
On May 18, a notice in the Federal Register announced a new grant program to be administered by OCTAE, “Pathways to STEM Apprenticeships for High School CTE Students.” The notice notes that the grants “will fund State-level efforts that support local or regional approaches to establishing Apprenticeship programs for high school CTE Students or that support efforts to implement or expand coordinated Apprenticeship programming for high school CTE Students.” OCTAE expects to award approximately five three-year grants ranging from $500,000-$750,000 each. Find more information about the grants, including a webinar for prospective applicants and deadlines for submissions on the Perkins Collaborative Resource Network website.
In Case You Missed It: President Trump Nominates Scott Stump for Assistant Secretary for OCTAE
On May, 14, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Scott Stump to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. Stump boasts a long and distinguished career in education. He served as a national CTE leader, serving as President on the Advance CTE Board of Directors in 2014-15. Advance CTE is proud to fully endorse his nomination.
Advance CTE Releases New Video
Advance CTE just released a new video that provides an overview of how CTE prepares learners for their futures while closing the skills gap for employers across the country. Use this video to help you make the case for CTE and demonstrate the benefits of today’s CTE!
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate for Federal Policy