Supporting the goals and ideals of "Career and Technical Education Month".

Whereas a competitive global economy requires workers who are prepared for skilled professions;

Whereas not fewer than 17,000,000 new workers will be needed to support the infrastructure sector of the United States in the next decade, including to design, build, and operate transportation, housing, utilities, and telecommunications;

Whereas current global economic uncertainty and volatility have fundamentally shifted entire industries within foundational sectors of the economy of the United States, creating significant demands for high-quality and efficient educational opportunities to ensure a quick and equitable recovery;

Whereas career and technical education (referred to in this preamble as CTE) ensures that competitive and skilled workers are ready, willing, and capable of holding jobs in high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand career fields such as science, technology, engineering, art and design, manufacturing, mathematics, nursing, allied health, construction, information technology, energy sustainability, and many other career fields that are vital in keeping the United States competitive in the global economy;

Whereas CTE helps the United States meet the very real and immediate challenges of economic development, student achievement, and global competitiveness;

Whereas in the United States, more than half of all jobs require some level of postsecondary education, but less than a bachelor’s degree;

Whereas nearly 12,000,000 students are enrolled in CTE across the United States at the secondary and postsecondary levels, with CTE programs in thousands of comprehensive high schools, area technical centers, career academies, and nearly 1,000 2-year colleges;

Whereas CTE matches employability skills with workforce demand and provides relevant academic and technical coursework leading to credentials of value for secondary, postsecondary, and adult learners;

Whereas CTE affords students the opportunity to cultivate the knowledge and skills to earn the credentials needed to secure careers in growing, high-demand fields;

Whereas secondary CTE is associated with a lower probability of dropping out of high school and a higher likelihood of graduating on time;

Whereas, according to an American Federation of Teachers poll, 94 percent of parents approve of expanding access to CTE and other programs that prepare students for jobs;

Whereas students at schools with highly-integrated, rigorous academic and CTE programs, are significantly more likely to meet college and career readiness benchmarks than students at schools with less integrated programs;

Whereas in 2018, Congress affirmed the importance of CTE by passing the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Public Law 115–224; 132 Stat. 1563), which supports investment and program improvement in secondary and postsecondary CTE programs in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and outlying areas; and

Whereas February 23, 2023, marks the 106th anniversary of the signing of the Act of February 23, 1917 (39 Stat. 929, commonly known as the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act of 1917), which was the first major Federal investment in secondary CTE and laid the foundation for the bipartisan, bicameral support for CTE that continues as of February 2023: Now, therefore, be it