Chambana Sun

State Rep. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is among lawmakers in Springfield backing legislation to declare February 2022 Career and Technical Education Month.

The campaign is part of Bennett’s push to raise awareness about the role that Career Technical Education has in preparing students for college and career success.

“In communities throughout the state, CTE provides Illinois students with hands-on experience and real-world skills to better prepare them for jobs,” Bennett said in a post to his website. “To raise awareness of the role that Career Technical Education has in preparing learners for college and career success, I am backing the effort to establish this February as Career and Technical Education Month.

As a chief co-sponsor of Senate Resolution 698, the lawmaker said, “the goal of this resolution is to raise awareness and recognize the important role CTE plays in our workforce.”

CTE programs are designed to prepare students for careers in major industries, among them finance, health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing and education. Coursework  includes both academic and technical materials, paving the way for many students to use their knowledge from the programs to earn industry-recognized credentials or college credits.

“Career and Technical Education programs in Illinois provide instruction for careers in high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand occupations,” the Illinois State Board of Education posted on its website. “CTE programs continue to strengthen students’ technical skills, articulate transitions to postsecondary programs, employment or both, assist in meeting the Illinois Learning Standards and close achievement gaps.”

Across the state, roughly 30,000 students earned college credit from their CTE courses. In addition, 97 percent of students who complete CTE programs in Illinois graduate from high school, more than 10 percent greater than the number of graduates from traditional high schools.

With nearly 415,000 Illinoisans now enrolled in CTE programs, Bennett is striving to highlight the bright futures he sees for many of them as well as the success of CTE programs through this measure.

“CTE programs are an important and often overlooked part of the higher education system,” he said. “With the pandemic impacting the lives of so many people, there is no better time to highlight how CTE can make a difference.”

Earlier this month, state Rep. Dave Vella (D-Rockford) filed legislation that would create a new CTE school in the Rockford area. House Bill 4315 would come with as much as $15 million in funding to help jumpstart the project.

“To ensure that our local workforce is equipped with valuable skills that can attract businesses, it is critical that we are investing in our workers and helping them learn and master new trades,” he said. “A new career and technical education school in our community would be a major investment in the future of our local economy, which will help set up many residents to have long and successful careers.”