The House Education and the Workforce Committee held its second field hearing yesterday on preparing today's students for 21st century careers. The Mesa, AZ, based hearing comes two days after the committee held a field hearing on Perkins CTE Act reauthorization in Las Vegas, NV.
The hearing was split into two panels with witnesses coming from four- and two-year public postsecondary institutions, for-profit postsecondary institutions, local government and business and industry.
Panel One:
- The Honorable Rick Heumann, Vice Mayor, Chandler, AZ
- Ms. Cathleen Barton, Education Manager, Intel Corporation
- Mr. Lee Lambert, Chancellor, Pima Community College
- Dr. William Pepicello, President, University of Phoenix
Panel Two:
- Dr. Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University
- Dr. Ann Weaver Hart, President, University of Arizona
- Dr. Ernest Lara, President, Estrella Mountain Community College
- Ms. Christy Farley, Vice President, Government Affairs and Business Partnerships, Northern Arizona University
Both panels focused on the role partnerships between business and industry and education institutions play in ensuring career training programs are aligned to industry needs and students are able to find employment. In his opening statement, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) said he specifically hopes to use the Perkins Act reauthorization as an opportunity to encourage greater collaboration between the private sector and education institutions.
A recurring point throughout the first panel though was the need for career education programs to lead students along a pathway between levels of education, both secondary and postsecondary and between two- and four-year institutions, and that students should be earning stackable credentials along the path to completion.
Also discussed during the course of the hearing were other federal programs, including adult education and the Higher Education Act (Act), that help students, the unemployed and the underemployed obtain the skills necessary for success in the workforce.
For more information on this hearing or the field hearing in Las Vegas, you can find full video recordings and witness testimony on the committee's website. Additionally, if you'd like to tell your Member of Congress how CTE is making a difference in the lives of your students or your community, check out theCTE Action Center to find your Member and send a message.
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