Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am proud to reintroduce the Career and Technical Education for Adult Learners or the CTE for All Act with my colleague, Senator Baldwin. Our legislation addresses the critical need to expand educational opportunities for working adults with low academic skills. The need for strengthening the skills base for working adults continues to grow. Increasingly, middle-skill and sustainable wage jobs require education beyond high school. Yet, according to U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data, 12 percent (24 million) of working age adults have less than a high school diploma. Recent Department of Education data show that only 5 percent of adults with less than a high school diploma have any type of postsecondary certificate, certification, or license compared to 27 percent of adults overall. Moreover, an estimated 36 million adults in the U.S. have low skills with nearly one in six having low literacy skills and one in three having low numeracy skills. Our ability to grow the economy and decrease income inequality will depend, in large part, on our commitment to providing education and training programs to low-skilled adults. These workers are concentrated in fields such as construction, health care, manufacturing, and hospitality. Expanding career and technical education opportunities to these workers could enhance their career trajectories and strengthen their earning potential, fueling economic productivity and growth for the future.…”