Dear Congress: A letter from 200 Businesses And Organizations
•As you know, we’ve been pushing hard for the reauthorization of the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act because we know that access to high-quality career and technical programs is essential to closing America’s skills gap.
Today, Opportunity Nation and more than 200 companies and organizations signed the letter below urging Members of Congress to update and improve this crucial federal law that sends more than $1 billion to states each year.
Join us in supporting CTE reauthorization by voicing your support of #PerkinsCTE.
Dear Congress: @OppNation @IBM @ITI_TechTweets & 200+ orgs want #CTE reform now! #PerkinsCTE http://ctt.ec/6c3_m+ |
Best,
Melanie Anderson
Director of Government Affairs | Opportunity Nation
Opportunity Nation | Twitter | Facebook
P.S. Opportunity Nation is also incredibly excited that a bipartisan, bicameral WIA bill is being announced later today – stay tuned for more information from us on that!
Dear Members of Congress,
We the undersigned businesses and organizations urge you to move forward with reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins). As the American economy recovers from the most significant economic recession in recent memory, employers are still reporting a shortage of skilled workers to fill in-demand positions. Career and technical education (CTE) programs, found throughout the country, are central to overcoming this skills gap and provide greater opportunity for America’s youth and adults.
CTE has proven to be an effective tool for improving student outcomes and helps prepare both secondary and postsecondary students with the necessary academic, technical, and employability skills required for successful entry into the workforce. Indeed, CTE prepares students both for college and careers.
Reauthorizing the Perkins Act is critical for the continued economic prosperity of the United States and ensures the country remain a leader in global competitiveness. As Congress sets out on this task, we urge you and your colleagues to focus on areas where improvements can be made to current law, building upon its past successes and enhancing aspects of the Perkins Act, which will help to better serve both workers and employers. A reauthorized version of Perkins should:
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Align CTE programs to the needs of the regional, state, and local labor market;
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Support effective and meaningful collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions and employers;
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Increase student participation in experiential learning opportunities such as industry internships, apprenticeships and mentorships; and promote the use of industry-recognized credentials.
These improvements will more effectively spend federal dollars to help our nation’s students acquire the skills that they need and employers are demanding. We urge you to move forward with this important work and applaud Congress’ ongoing bipartisan commitment to invest in our nation’s students, workers, and economy.
Sincerely,
ACE Clearwater Enterprises |
Adobe |
Aeronautical Repair Station Association |
Aerospace Industries Association |
Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute |
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers |
American Association for the Advancement of Science |
American Association of Community Colleges |
American Association of People with Disabilities |
American Cleaning Institute |
American Coatings Association |
American Federation of Teachers |
American Foundation for the Blind |
American Road & Transportation Builders Association |
Applied Materials |
Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
Arizona Manufacturers Council |
Arizona School Boards Association |
Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce |
Arrow Gear Company |
Associated Equipment Distributors |
Associated General Contractors of America |
Association for Computing Machinery |
Association of Career and Technical Education |
Association of Global Automakers, Inc. |
Association of Washington Business |
AT&T |
Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation |
Austin Chamber of Commerce |
Austin Community College |
Auto Care Association |
Automotive Training Managers Council (ATMC) |
Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) |
Battelle |
Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation |
Boeing Company |
Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) |
Business Council of New York State, Inc. |
Business Council of Westchester |
Business Roundtable |
CA Botana International, Inc. |
CA Technologies |
California Manufacturers & Technology Association |
California STEM Learning Network |
Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis & Vicinity |
Cecil College |
Center for Employment Training |
Central Arizona College |
CEO Council for Growth |
Certiport |
Charlotte Chamber of Commerce |
Citizen Schools |
Clow Stamping Company |
Cloyes Gear and Products, Inc. |
Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry (CACI) |
Colorado Succeeds |
Columbia Vista Corporation |
Communities in Schools of North Carolina |
Computer Science Teachers Association |
Cook Medical |
Copper & Brass Fabricators Council |
Corn Refiners Association |
Corporate Education Consulting, Inc |
Council of Industry of Southeastern New York |
Cox Manufacturing Co., Inc. |
CTE Academy, Round Rock, Texas |
Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation (DASEF) |
Delta Engineers, Architects, & Land Surveyors |
Dominion Resources, Inc. |
Eastern Arizona College |
Eastern Arizona College of Health & Physical Education Division |
Eastern Arizona College of Welding |
Eastman Chemcial Company |
Elbit Systems of America |
EMC |
Emerson |
Enkei America, Inc. |
Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International |
Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’ Enterprise (FAME) |
General & Automotive Machine Shop, Inc |
Georgia Association of Manufacturers |
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce |
Greater Dubuque Development Corporation |
Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce |
Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce |
Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce |
Hermann Oak Leather |
Hewlett-Packard Company |
Hi-Lex |
Honda North America, Inc. |
Houston Area Urban League |
HR Policy Association |
IBM |
INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry |
Industrial Minerals Association – North America |
Industrial Tool, Die & Engineering, Inc. |
Industry Workforce Needs Council |
Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) |
Ingersoll Rand |
Innovate Educate |
Integrity Aerospace Group |
Intel Corporation |
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association |
Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council |
J C Renfroe & Sons |
Jack Wymer, LLC |
Jackson Area Manufacturers Association |
Jim Godfrey & Associates LLC |
Jobs for the Future |
Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association |
Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association |
Lanxess Corporation |
Lexmark International |
Magnet Schools of America |
Manufacturers Association of Florida |
MarZee, Inc. |
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) |
Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) |
MeadWestvaco |
Michigan Manufacturers Association |
Micron Technology |
Mississippi Manufacturers Association |
Missouri Chamber of Commerce |
Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education –Office of College & Career Readiness |
Montana Chamber of Commerce |
Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association |
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) |
National Association of Manufacturers |
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) |
National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) |
National Association of Trailer Manufacturers |
National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) |
National Center for Technological Literacy at the Museum of Science, Boston |
National Council for Advanced Manufacturing |
National Council of State Directors of Adult Education |
National Girls Collaborative Project |
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) |
National Skills Coalition |
National Tooling and Machining Association |
NCR Corporation |
Neustar |
New Jersey Business & Industry Association |
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce |
New Jersey Employer Coalition for Technical Education |
New Mexico STEM Network |
North American Die Casting Association |
North American Technician Excellence |
North Carolina New Schools |
North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA) |
Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Association |
Northrop Grumman Corporation |
OEM Fabricators, Inc. |
Opportunity America |
Opportunity Nation |
Optimax Systems, Inc. |
Oracle |
Partnership for Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration Accreditation (PAHRA) |
Pathways to Prosperity Kansas/Missouri Regional Council |
PG&E |
Philadelphia Education Fund |
Philadelphia Works, Inc. |
Phoenix Closures, Inc. |
Pima Community College |
Pivot Manufacturing |
Polaris Industries |
Power Transmission Distributors Association |
Precision Machined Products Association |
Precision Metalforming Association |
PTC Group Holdings Corp. |
Quality Float Works, Inc. |
Radix Wire |
Red Hat |
Rockwell Collins |
San Antonio Manufacturers Association |
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce |
SAP |
SAS |
Siemens |
Silicon Valley Education Foundation |
Silicon Valley Leadership Group |
Skills for America’s Future |
SkillsUSA |
Specialty Equipment Market Association |
Specialty Graphic Imaging Association |
Spirit Aerosystems |
Stellar Industries, Inc. |
STEMx |
Taminco Global Chemical Corp |
Tech Council of Maryland |
TechAmerica |
Technology Association of Iowa |
TechVoice |
Texas Association of Business |
The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) |
The Business Council of New York State, Inc. |
The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association |
Thermcraft, Inc |
THORS, LLC |
Toyota Motor North America, Inc. |
Triangle Coalition for STEM Education |
Trim-Tex, Inc. |
U.S. Chamber of Commerce |
United Way for Greater Austin |
United Way Silicon Valley |
United Ways of Texas |
Universal Technical Institute |
Uniweld Products Inc. |
Utah Manufacturers Association |
Valley Industrial Association |
Vernier Software & Technology |
Virginia Manufacturers Association |
Washington STEM |
Young Invincibles |