,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cada  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bf1     
#bjah,ms4 ,klobuchar introduced the     
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,health1 
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins
 ,career and ,technical ,education ,act 
of #bjjf to provide for career and      
technical education research and        
outreach4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,career and         
,technical ,education ,research and     
,outreach ,act of #bjah4  #b4 ,findings 
,congress finds the following3 7#a7     
,according to the ,bureau of ,labor     
,statistics1 the current number of job  
openings is at record high levels1 with 
#f1jjj1jjj job openings nationally4     
7#b7 ,the ,national ,skills ,coalition  
has found that middle-skill jobs--jobs  
requiring some education beyond a high  
school diploma1 but not a #d-year       
degree--account for #ec percent of the  

labor market in the ,united ,states1 yet
 only #dc percent of all workers are    
trained at the middle-skill level4  7#c7
 ,a report by ,manpower ,group found    
that employers in many industries       
struggle to find workers with the right 
skills and experience4 ,for example1    
more than #hj percent of manufacturers  
say that talent shortages will affect   
their ability to meet customer needs4   
,employers also report difficulties in  
finding skilled trade workers1 nurses1  
and technicians4  7#d7 ,career and      
technical education plays a critical    
role in closing the skills gap and      
strengthening the workforce4 ,by helping
 students develop the skills they need  
for high-wage1 high-demand #bast century
 jobs1 career and technical education   
makes ,american businesses and workers  
more competitive in the global economy4 
,our economic future depends on a highly
 skilled and competitive workforce4     
7#e7 ,according to a national           
organization representing ,state leaders

 in secondary1 postsecondary1 and adult 
career and technical education1 ,advance
 ,,cte1 high school students who        
concentrate in career and technical     
education programs are less likely to   
drop out2 the average graduation rate   
for these students is #ic percent1 as   
compared to the national average of #hb 
percent4  7#f7 ,career and technical    
education programs help students obtain 
industry relevant academic instruction  
that allows them to explore career      
possibilities1 acquire real-world       
skills1 gain opportunities to earn      
college credit through dual enrollment1 
and earn industry-recognized            
credentials4  7#g7 ,evidence suggests   
that school counselors and teachers are 
trusted sources of information about    
career and technical education4 ,for    
example1 a national study by ,advance   
,,cte shows that #hb percent of         
prospective parents and #hd percent of  
prospective students trust and want to  
hear from school counselors regarding   

career and technical education1 and that
 #gi percent of parents and #hc percent 
of students trust teachers to provide   
such information4 ,school counselors and
 teachers are therefore well positioned 
to engage students and parents early    
about the range of education and career 
opportunities4  7#h7 ,reports suggest   
that additional research on career and  
technical education is needed1 in       
particular1 on the effectiveness of     
different delivery systems and          
approaches to career and technical      
education4 ,such research will help     
guide the development of new career and 
technical education programs and the    
improvement of existing ones1 enhancing 
education and career outcomes for       
students and expanding the skilled and  
competent workforce that is critical to 
our ,nation's long term economic success
 and competitiveness4  #c4 ,career and  
technical education research and        
outreach ,section #aad7;d77#d77;,a77i7  
of the ,carl ,d4 ,perkins ,career and   

,technical ,education ,act of #bjjf 7#bj
 ,u4,s4,c4 #bcbd7;d77#d77;,a77i77 is    
amended--  7#a7 in subclause 7,,iv71 by 
striking and after the semicolon2  7#b7 
in subclause 7,v77bb71 by inserting and 
after the semicolon2 and  7#c7 by adding
 at the end the following3  7,,vi7 the  
effectiveness of different delivery     
systems and approaches for career and   
technical education1 including          
comprehensive high schools1 technical   
high schools1 area technical centers1   
career academies1 community and         
technical colleges1 early college high  
schools1 pre-apprenticeship programs1   
voluntary after-school programs1 and    
individual course offerings1 including  
dual or concurrent enrollment programs1 
as well as communication strategies for 
promoting career and technical education
 opportunities involving teachers1      
school counselors1 and parents or other 
guardians2  4