WASHINGTON, DC – Today, H.R. 2353, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, passed the House Education and Workforce Committee unanimously and Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), a member of the Committee, included a provision that extends the allowable use of funding for career-building programs.

Rep. Norcross’ provision specifically allows for better alignment between college and high school programs, for more information about educational options to be provided to students and for data-driven market information to be used as curriculum is created to ensure students are trained for high-skill, high-wage jobs.

“Technical training shaped my life – taking me from Community College to Congress,” said Congressman Norcross. “The four-year college experience is critical for many, but it’s not for everyone, including me, and we need to make Career and Technical Education programs work as efficiently as possible. We need electricians and computer programmers, just like we need doctors and judges, and this bill allows more students to learn about more options.”

“I am pleased we all worked together on the Committee to pass this bill and ensure that our career and technical education system will adapt to the needs of emerging industries,” said House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott. “Rep. Norcross is the only former electrician on the Committee and was able to work on an important section of this bill by bringing his unique personal perspective as someone who received technical training and attended community college. With this bill passing, we are one step closer to helping more Americans enter the workforce with the skills they need to compete for high-skilled, high-wage jobs.”

“All one needs to do is examine the changing job market to understand the importance of career and technical training programs that will lead to meaningful employment for an ever-increasing number of our citizens,” said Camden County College President Don Borden. “This provision added by Congressman Norcross, as well as his overall support of the bill, illustrates his understanding of the types of educational programs we need to provide for our students.”

Click here to read full text of H.R. 2353. Rep. Norcross’ provision (section 135) can be found starting on page 83.

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Contact: Ally Kehoe, Communications Director
ally.kehoe@mail.house.gov