A whirlwind month in the world of CTE came to a close last week with events nationwide marking the power of CTE and its impact on communities across the country.
Programs nationwide seized the opportunity to present new and innovative methods for delivering CTE. We tracked an enormous amount of content via the Twitter hashtag #CTEMonth and were proud to showcase innovative CTE Month content on our Facebook.As we highlighted in a month-long blog series in partnership with the National Technical Honor Society, CTE students across the country are doing fantastic work protecting the environment, serving their communities, getting a head start on their careers, and reinventing their lives.
CTSOs harnessed the power of social media to promote CTE month by activating their membership base, creating student-made video content, and even sending student leaders to Washington to meet with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and speak at a Department of Education briefing.
This CTE Month was also a big month for NASDCTEc/NCTEF events, as we released further information about our upcoming Spring Meeting (March 31-April 3, 2014, in Washington, DC) and officially opened registration for the completely revamped Achieving Excellence in CTE: the Career Clusters Institute (June 16-18, 2014, in Phoenix, AZ).
CTE Month reached its zenith as it closed with recognitions from both Chambers of the US Congress. Senate CTE Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) joined CTE champion Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introducing a resolution to confirm February as CTE Month along with ringing endorsements of CTE’s role in developing a career-ready workforce. It proposed four key points for the Senate to acknowledge:
“Therefore, be it Resolved That the Senate–
“(1) designates the month of February as ‘Career and Technical Education Month’ to celebrate career and technical education across the United States;
“(2) supports the goals and ideals of Career and Technical Education Month;
“(3) recognizes the importance of career and technical education in preparing a well-educated and skilled workforce in the United States; and
“(4) encourages educators, counselors, and administrators to promote career and technical education as an option for students.”
Just as Senator Kaine introduced the Senate Resolution, Congressional CTE Caucus Co-Chairs Representative Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-PA) and Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) each took to the House Floor to extoll the benefits of CTE to their colleagues.
“In today’s competitive job market, high-paying, high-demand jobs require
technical skills and training,” said Rep. Thompson. “These programs
are the key to bridging the skills gap.”
“CTE is an investment in the future of our economy, our workforce and
our country,” said Rep. Langevin. “I urge my colleagues on the
Appropriations Committee to fully fund Perkins for the upcoming fiscal
year and make important investments in our career training.”
Evan Williamson, Communications Associate