Perkins V is a tremendous step forward in strengthening Career Technical Education (CTE). However, as the potential scope of how Perkins V can be applied was expanded, the amount of money allocated has not expanded enough!
The amount of resources allocated for CTE are not adequate to provide the exposure and education to careers that our students need. CTE programs need resources to fund the classrooms in which they take place, including the necessary equipment and tools, career guidance, the opportunity to engage with local employers and quality instructors, just to name a few.
Employers play a crucial role in CTE. We provide meaningful work-based learning opportunities like internships and job shadowing, but also help guide curriculum and weigh in on what skills we know our industries need both today, and in the future. This important partnership between the employer community and education community is what makes CTE so unique, and so great. We are, together, preparing CTE learners with the knowledge and specific technical skills that we all will need in our future employees. However, we live in a world where most employers do not know what “C.T.E.” stands for, let alone are aware that they have a role to play in it.
Now is the time to change that. For those employers aware of the value and importance of CTE – we need your help to be advocates and messengers. It’s time for everyone to understand the incredible return we get on the investment in Perkins V.
If you’re an employer that is new to understanding CTE, I encourage you to learn more about how these programs can play a vital role in providing qualified and skilled employees.
You can engage in many ways… I always say, “there is no one solution, it is going to take lots of people doing lots of things!” As a business, you can engage by supporting the CTE community in their campaign to double the investment in CTE by signing on to this statement. Want to do more? You can use these materials to share what you know about CTE with other leaders in the business community, help them understand the importance of increasing the federal investment and finally, ask them to support the campaign. Regardless of how you decide to engage, now is the time!
This article was written by Michael Kenig, Vice Chairman, Holder Construction Company. He also serves as the chair of the Atlanta College & Career Academy’s Advisory Board and on the Board of Worksource Atlanta, a local Workforce Board.