Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Apprenticeship Week. As co-chair of the Career and Technical Education Caucus, I am proud to be joined by my friend and caucus co-chair, Representative G.T. Thompson from Pennsylvania, in recognizing this important week. I know he will be speaking in just a minute. I want to thank him for his outstanding leadership on this issue and so many others. Apprenticeships are a proven method of preparing students for in- demand jobs. By combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction, apprenticeships teach both job skills and how these skills are used in the workplace. Earlier this year, the House passed the Strengthening CTE for the 21st Century Act. This bill expands opportunities for apprenticeships and even allows teachers to gain direct knowledge of workplace skills. G.T. and I were proud to help champion House passage of this bill, which received overwhelming bipartisan support. We now urge the Senate to take up this measure before the end of the year to ensure that all students have access to high-quality CTE. It is the exact thing that our economy needs right now. It will close our skills gap, making sure that our workers, our young people, have the skills they need for in- demand jobs today and well into the future. ____________________”