The Strengthening Career & Technical Education for the 21st Century law, or “Perkins V,” is a federal education program that invests in secondary, postsecondary and adult Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the territories. Perkins is: Dedicated to the continuous improvement of and relevancy of CTE to meet the ever-changing needs of learners and employers Increasing learner access to high-quality CTE programs of study Key provisions in the new law include: Requiring extensive collaboration among State- and local-level secondary, postsecondary, and business and industry partners to develop and implement high-quality CTE programs and programs of study; Introducing a needs assessment to align CTE programs to locally identified in-demand, high-growth, and high-wage career fields; Strengthening the CTE teacher and faculty pipeline, especially in hard-to-fill program areas, including STEM; Promoting innovative practices to reshape where, how, and to whom CTE is delivered; Expanding the reach and scope of career guidance and academic counseling; and Shifting responsibility to States to determine their performance measures, including new program quality measures, and related levels of performance to optimize outcomes for students.

Career and Technical Education prepares Nebraska students for college & careers in 2016-2017. 71% of Nebraska’s students grades 7-12 participate in CTE annually! 99% of Nebraska’s CTE concentrators graduate high school! Less than .01% of Nebraska’s CTE concentrators drop out of high school! 100% of Nebraska’s high schools offer CTE programs! On average, Nebraska students took 5.5 CTE classes before graduation! Over 22,000 students gained leadership skills participating in a CTSO!