On Tuesday, President Trump delivered his first State of the Union address. In it, he addressed a wide range of issues, including immigration, foreign policy, tax reform and the economy. However, the president only mentioned education policy once, specifically referring to CTE by saying “let’s invest in workforce development and job training. Let’s open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential.” The line led to a standing ovation from both Democrats and Republicans in the House Chamber.
The nod to career education is laudatory, but falls short of capturing the full breadth of today’s CTE ecosystem. Not only does CTE reach far beyond the “vocational education” that once characterized the system, but CTE programs do more than just teach students “a craft.” Today’s CTE is part of a well-rounded education that imparts a wide range of academic, technical and employability skills and prepares students for lifelong learning and diverse career opportunities across the economy. There are already many high-quality CTE programs and schools around the country, though they do need additional support to further improve their programs and ensure every student has the opportunity to access them. On the heels of his call for “open[ing] great vocational schools,” President Trump should redouble the nation’s investment in CTE through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act in his budget, which is set to be released in mid-February. The president’s budget last year proposed cutting the Perkins CTE basic state grant by 15 percent.
The president also spoke about the need to “rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.” He called on Democrats and Republicans to work together to modernize infrastructure and spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments, funded by federal, state and local governments, and through private sector investments. While infrastructure investments have been discussed by the Administration and Congress at numerous times over the last year, often absent from this discussion is how to prepare the necessary workforce to meet infrastructure needs. Infrastructure – from roads and bridges to sewage, telecom, electric grids, and more – requires people to plan, design, build and maintain the projects. A 2016 analysis predicts a shortage of at least a million workers in the construction industry alone by 2020. Any discussion about an infrastructure package must include a workforce development component to ensure America has the skilled talent pipeline to meet its infrastructure workforce demand.
Shortly after the State of the Union, as is tradition, Democrats held a response. This year, Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) gave the response from a CTE high school. At the beginning of his remarks, Rep. Kennedy gave a shout-out to CTE students in attendance, saying, “[f]rom textiles to robots, [Fall, River Massachusetts is a proud American city] that knows how to make great things. The students with us this evening in the auto-tech program at Diman Regional Technical School carry on that rich legacy.” Unfortunately, Rep. Kennedy’s response, like the President’s address, didn’t elaborate further on CTE or the critical role it plays in the American economy.
ACTE will continue working with the Trump Administration and Congress to increase investments in CTE and build on the many high-quality programs all across the country.