PASSAGE OF ACT TO BOOST CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION WILL HELP ADDRESS GROWING SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

Congressional Approval is an Important Step in Addressing Skills Gap by Making It Easier for School Officials to Set up and Support Programs Exposing Students to High-Paying Careers Like Construction

The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, released the following statement in reaction to the passage of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act:

“It is encouraging to see Congress acting in a bipartisan way to pass a measure that will provide a long-overdue boost to career and technical education in this country. For too long we have chosen to push every student to college instead of providing them with essential and valuable skills. Today’s vote marks a key milestone in rebalancing the nation’s educational approach by offering students multiple paths to success.

“Enacting a new career and technical education measure will help address the growing shortage of qualified workers that is keeping many construction firms from hiring even more workers. That is one reason why the Associated General Contractors of America has invested so much time, energy and resources into pushing for Congressional action on this measure.

“Moving forward, we will continue to look for opportunities to further improve career and technical education programs. AGC calls on the President to quickly sign the bill into law so our members can start working with local school districts to begin preparing the next generation of high-earning construction workers.”