Political Quotes

“I am proud to be here this morning to talk about a legislative matter that has taken many years to come to fruition. We were able to work together in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and make important updates that will support high-quality programs, foster innovation, and improve access for all students. I am very proud to be joined by Senator Enzi, who worked for years on this issue. I will say more about Senator Enzi in a moment. Perkins CTE--``CTE'' standing for ``career and technical education''--is critical to creating jobs and growing wages and ensuring our workers have the tools to outcompete wth anyone in the world. This legislation will empower States and local districts to create programs that provide better outcomes for all students, educators, and our economy. Since the last reauthorization in 2006--you heard that right, 2006-- there have been significant changes to both technology and our economy, and we have a growing skills gap. In Pennsylvania, for example, jobs requiring some postsecondary education and training but not a B.A. account for 54 percent of Pennsylvania's labor market; however, only 43 percent of workers in the State are trained to fill these jobs.…”