On Saturday, October 31, the Associated Press published an article on the recently-released Iowa Department of Education’s Secondary Career and Technical Education Task Force’s Final Report, which provides guidance and recommendations to the governor and General Assembly on strategies for strengthening Iowa’s CTE programs. The Task Force, which was organized by the Iowa state legislature in 2013 and has conducted extensive research in the report’s development, was comprised of CTE stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds, including educators at the secondary and postsecondary levels, business officials and policymakers.
The group’s final report, which can be accessed online here, recommends six strategies focused on building comprehensive career pathways in the state, from increased emphasis on career guidance in planning students’ educational decisions to providing a spectrum of worked-based learning experiences. While the task force’s findings are intended to inform policymakers of opportunities for CTE programs to grow, it is not a formal bill for the state and its recommendations will need to be reworked into legislative proposals before enactment.
The Associated Press article reports that Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has announced his plans to focus on more training opportunities that will overcome the growing skills gap, and outlines the details that Iowa state officials will need to work through before the recommendations can become law.
The article also includes information about the national context for the Iowa-focused report. ACTE spoke to AP Reporter Barbara Rodriguez about the important shift in public perception that has helped many students reconsider the role CTE has in their education, and the work that remains to be done so families and policymakers understand how CTE can prepare every student for the 21st century workforce.
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