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Foxx: Educational Success Is About More Than Just a Degree

Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) spoke on the House floor today to emphasize the important role career and technical education, or CTE, plays in preparing students to compete in the workforce. As she explained, the bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 5587) “goes a long way toward ensuring that individuals who pursue a technical education have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed.”



 
[There] is an unnecessary stigma attached to career and technical education. It’s too often referred to as the “other” track, with the incorrect implication that it’s the path individuals take if they won’t be able to handle the rigors of college.

In reality, students who pursue CTE complete a diverse curriculum where they learn important skills for succeeding in the workplace such as problem-solving, research, time management and critical thinking …

We need to shift our perspective away from the idea that every student must attend an expansive and expensive four-year program to succeed in the workforce. Educational success is about more than just a degree. It’s about quantifiable skills that employers need in their employees.
 

Introduced by Reps. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) and Katherine Clark (D-MA) the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act builds on recent reforms to improve K-12 education and the workforce development system. Approved unanimously by the committee last week, the bipartisan legislation:
 

  • Empowers state and local community leaders by simplifying the application process for receiving federal funds and providing more flexibility to use federal resources to respond to changing education and economic needs.

  • Improves alignment with in-demand jobs by supporting innovative learning opportunities, building better community partnerships, and encouraging stronger engagement with employers.

  • Increases transparency and accountability by streamlining performance measures to ensure CTE programs deliver results and empowering parents, students, and stakeholders with a voice in setting performance goals and evaluating the effectiveness of local programs.

  • Ensures a limited federal role by reining in the secretary of education’s authority, limiting federal intervention, and preventing political favoritism.

 
For more information on the bill, click here.

To read Rep. Foxx’s full remarks, click here.

To watch a video, click here.

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