National League of Cities Praises Signing of Career and Technical Education Bill

WASHINGTON — July 31, 2018 — With the signing of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act by the president, the National League of Cities (NLC) is pleased to see the passage of legislation that reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act). The following statement may be attributed to NLC President Mark Stodola, mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas:

“The National League of Cities applauds both the Administration and Congress for ensuring the passage of critical legislation that continues to invest in career and technical education training, which provides our citizens with the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and in-demand careers.

“By the end of the next decade, one in every five individuals in our nation’s workforce will be of retirement age, leaving gaps across all sectors of our workforce, but especially in fields that require the kind of education and training that will be supported through this legislation. We must provide pathways to learning and employment in every community across our country. This will be especially critical as we look to train the next generation of workers and provide advancement opportunities to those already in the workforce. Local leaders know very well that investing in these pathways is essential to the economic vitality of cities.

“NLC has long championed the reauthorization of the Perkins Act as a critical component in investing in our nation’s workforce. We look forward to furthering our partnership with Congress and the Administration to ensure that workforce development programs continue to be a part of the dialogue of our nation’s economic competitiveness and rebuilding and reimagining America’s infrastructure“.