Kaine: Push tech earlier

Virginia’s U.S. senators introduced a bill Thursday that would expand career and technical programs in middle schools across the country.

Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are among the bill’s co-sponsors, along with fellow Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Sheldon Wheitehouse of Rhode Island and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

The Middle School Technical Education Program Act, or Middle STEP, would partner middle schools with post-secondary institutions and local businesses to develop and implement career and technical education programs. According to a news release by Kaine, those programs would give students access to apprenticeships or project-based learning opportunities.

Kaine introduced an earlier version of the bill last year, but is optimistic it has a better chance of passage this year as part of the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 that the Senate plans to take up in the coming weeks.

“Middle school is an important time for students to be exposed to a wide range of career choices,” Kaine said in the release. “Instead of having students wait until high school to explore their own strengths, likes and dislikes, we should encourage students to take full advantage of CTE exploration that will educate them about coursework and training that matches their career interests.”

###