Please consider signing on to this Perkins Coalition letter urging Congress to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins). Perkins is an existing avenue that helps students prepare for secondary and postsecondary education by providing access to federal dollars to offset the cost of career and technical education (CTE) programs. The deadline for signatures is Tuesday, March 31, 2015. Please consider signing on to this effort.

Thank you in advance for your support. If you have questions, please contact the NAM’s Director of Human Resources Policy, Christine Scullion, at cscullion@nam.org or 202-637-3133.

Thank You for your support.

Letter from Organizations in support of Perkins Act Reauthorization

We, the undersigned businesses and organizations, urge you to move forward with reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins). Employers are reporting a shortage of skilled workers to fill in-demand positions. Career and technical education (CTE) programs, throughout the country, are central to overcoming this skills gap.

CTE is 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:

Align CTE programs to the needs of the regional, state, and local labor market;
Support effective and meaningful collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions and employers;
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,
Organizations listed in alphabetical order