Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, visited the Live Oaks campus of Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development in Milford, OH, on July 7 to host a roundtable on CTE.
During the roundtable, Great Oaks students, employers, instructors, administrators and community partners discussed the contributions CTE makes to workforce development, with a particular emphasis on the growing areas of advanced manufacturing and engineering. Participants emphasized the multiple pathways to college and careers provided by CTE, and discussed the challenge of helping parents, students, and community members understand CTE's value.
One of the key questions asked by Sen. Portman was about the use of Perking funding, and he expressed interest in getting more students involved in CTE in high school, and in expanding training programs like the ones at Great Oaks to match skills to new jobs and close the skills gap.
Sen. Portman also highlighted the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act, which he is co-sponsoring with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). As reported previously, this bill would amend Perkins to include a more rigorous definition of programs of study and greater focus on local planning related to key program quality elements. ACTE has been working closely with Sen. Portman's office in his role as CTE Caucus co-chair, and appreciates his strong support of CTE.
New Great Oaks President/CEO Harry Snyder speaks at roundtable as Sen. Portman listens.
This event was a great opportunity to showcase CTE in action as we prepare for the reauthorization of Perkins, and we applaud the work of Great Oaks to establish this important connection with Sen. Portman! School visits like this one help to show Members of Congress the on-the-ground impact of their policy proposals and strengthen their support for programs. For more information on setting up a school visit or event in your local area, visit ACTE's Advocacy Toolkit.
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