Statement on Congressional Passage of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act

I applaud Congress for its tremendous, bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins). In the 12 years since Congress passed the last Perkins reauthorization, the economy has evolved tremendously, becoming increasingly dependent on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and other skilled labor. The White House, led by Ivanka Trump, was strongly engaged every step of the way to ensure passage of this critical legislation to provide students and workers the training necessary to succeed in a 21st-century economy. By enacting it into law, we will continue to prepare students for today's constantly shifting job market, and we will help employers find the workers they need to compete.