Kaine, Young, Baldwin Applaud Passage of Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing February as Career and Technical Education Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Todd Young (R-IN), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chairs of the Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, announced that the Senate passed their resolution recognizing February 2023 as CTE Month. A broad, bipartisan group of 72 senators co-sponsored the resolution.

“I grew up working in my dad’s ironworking shop, where I saw up close the essential role trade professionals play in our communities. Particularly at a time when we’re making historic improvements to America’s infrastructure, it’s crucial that we do all that we can to support our talented workforce by increasing access to job training programs,” said Kaine. “I’m proud to be a co-leader of the Career and Technical Education Caucus—where every month is Career and Technical Education Month—and will keep leading the charge to get my bipartisan JOBS Act across the finish line so we can finally allow students to use federal Pell grants to afford high-quality, shorter-term job training programs.”  

“Supporting workforce training for Hoosiers and Americans is vital to preparing for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Young. “Career and technical education equips individuals with hands-on experiences, addresses the skills gap, and provides a pathway to a meaningful career. Hoosiers deserve opportunities to succeed and live the American Dream."

“I’m proud to join my colleagues from both parties to highlight the importance of supporting and investing in career and technical education because a four-year degree is not the only way to a good-paying job,” said Baldwin. “CTE is an extremely effective tool to both create a pathway to a family-supporting job, and also ensure workers have the knowledge and know-how to meet businesses’ needs in today’s economy. I am looking forward to working to support CTE students so that they are better equipped for the high-skilled jobs of today and tomorrow.”

The passage of the resolution follows the introduction by Kaine and U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) of the bipartisan Jumpstart Our Businesses By Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, a bill that would expand Pell Grant eligibility to cover high-quality, short-term job training programs so workers can afford the training they need for good-paying jobs.

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