Congresswoman Angie Craig Convenes Discussion with Career and Technical Education Leaders

Today, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig brought career and technical education leaders together to discuss how a focus on career and technical education will be needed to rebuild the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As the country endures the economic challenges of COVID-19, we must begin to think about how we put people back to work in the jobs that build our communities and critical American infrastructure," said Rep. Angie Craig. "We've got to make sure these opportunities are available to our students and supported as we are rebuilding. I'll keep fighting for an economy that works for Minnesota's working and middle-class families."

Today's discussion focused on how there must be a focus on technical education as we rebuild our economy for those who are currently unemployed and may not have a job to return to. Here are some of the takeaways:

• Public-private partnerships are critical to expand career and technical education across the nation.
• CTE institutions have demonstrated immense flexibility to adapt to the changing education dynamics demanded by COVID-19 by bringing as many of their classes online as possible, investing in more laptops for students and continuing to strengthen their partnerships with employers.
• There must be an increase in reliable high-speed internet so that students, no matter where they live, have the opportunities to gain career and technical education skills.
• Right now, students are in a world of uncertainty. We should be highlighting that many essential workers have come from technical programs available to students.

Rep. Angie Craig recently introduced the Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act which would award student support grants to Apprenticeship Colleges for services such as career counseling, child care and substance abuse recovery programs.

Rep. Angie Craig also introduced the 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act in October 2019 to help Minnesotans secure careers in high-demand fields by fueling workforce training partnerships between schools and local businesses.