Send a letter to Congress in Support of H.R. 2353
This week the House Committee on Education and the Workforce advanced the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which would reform career and technical education. Please contact your U.S. representative and urge them to support this legislation which aligns programs with local employer needs, includes better reporting, increases work-based learning, promotes industry-recognized credentials and increases federal investment.
The bill is similar to legislation that passed in the House last Congress but failed to advance through the Senate. AGC remains hopeful the legislation will again pass the House later this year and that the Senate will follow suit and approve the bipartisan effort. AGC joined the Jobs and Careers Coalition and a multi-industry effort in advocating for the bill this week.
The bill is important to the construction industry because it authorizes funding for career and technical education programs, providing more than $1 billion annually to high schools and post-secondary vocational training programs. The bill was last authorized over a decade ago, and it no longer addresses the skills gap in today’s workforce. The greater flexibility to states on how they spend their allotments, the new performance metrics and the alignment of programs with other education and workforce training legislation will streamline federal programs. Similar to other education and workforce training programs, the success of the program rests on how it is ultimately implemented and how well employers collaborate and engage with educators in their local and state communities.
For more information, contact James Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133.

Legislation reauthorizing and updating the Perkins Act was introduced in Congress today. The legislation, the Strengthening Career And Technical Education For The 21st Century Act, is similar to an AGC-supported bill that passed the House of Representatives overwhelmingly last year but failed to advance in the Senate.
AGC remains hopeful that Congress will finally finish reauthorizing the legislation this year. AGC’s priorities have centered around: aligning education with local and regional economic needs, encouraging and promoting work-based learning, and spurring development and acceptance of industry recognized credentials. AGC has also advocated for an increase in federal funding for the CTE programs and reverse the trend over the last several years of level funding.
The Perkins bill authorizes funding for career and technical education programs, providing more than $1 billion annually to high schools and post-secondary vocational training programs. The bill was last authorized over a decade ago, and it no longer addresses the skills gap in today’s workforce. This new legislation gives greater flexibility to states on how they spend their allotments, improves performance metrics and aligns the programs with other education and workforce training legislation: the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Similar to other education and workforce training programs, the success of the program rests on how it is ultimately implemented and how well employers collaborate and engage with educators in their local and state communities. Additional information on the bill can be found here.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected].

AGC, along with a coalition of stakeholders, is urging Congress to reauthorize and reform the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) through a multi-industry letter. Perkins is an existing program that helps students prepare for secondary and postsecondary education by providing access to federal dollars to offset the cost of career and technical education (CTE) programs.
The reforms being advocated to Perkins include: aligning CTE programs to the needs of the regional, state, and local labor market; supporting effective and meaningful collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions and employers; increasing student participation in experiential learning opportunities such as industry internships, apprenticeships and mentorships; and promoting the use of industry-recognized credentials. Additionally, the letter highlights recent funding cuts to CTE programs and calls on Congress to make adequate investment in these crucial programs.
In 2016 legislation passed the U.S. House overwhelmingly and included many reforms being sought by AGC but was never considered by the Senate.
For more information, contact Jim Young at [email protected] or (202) 547-0133.