2014 -- S 2305

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LC004554

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY AS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH IN

THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Picard, Gallo, Lombardi, Metts, and P Fogarty

     Date Introduced: February 12, 2014

     Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

     WHEREAS, The month of February, 2014, has been designated Career and Technical

Education Month by the Association for Career and Technical Education; and

     WHEREAS, Profound economic and technological changes in our state are transforming

the structure and nature of work, placing new and additional responsibilities on our educational

system; and

     WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Senate’s “Rhode to Work” report found there is a

projected ‘middle skills’ gap in Rhode Island along with a potential labor shortage in middle skill

fields; and

     WHEREAS, That same report recognized the importance of career and technical

education in closing this skills gap and preparing Rhode Island’s workforce of the future; and

     WHEREAS, Career and technical education is the backbone of a strong, well-educated

state workforce, helping foster productivity in business and industry, and increasing Rhode

Island’s economic competitiveness; and

     WHEREAS, Career and technical education introduces students to the practical and

technical demands of the workplace, and is combined with traditional classroom instruction,

which improves the quality of their education; and

     WHEREAS, Career and technical education offers students lifelong opportunities to learn

new skills, increase their employability and earnings capacity, and provides them with career

choices and personal and professional satisfaction; and

     WHEREAS, The cooperative efforts of career and technical educators, business and labor

representatives, and state policymakers will help stimulate the growth and innovation of Rhode

Island’s career and technical education system, strengthening the state’s economy, and preparing

future workers for rewarding careers in some of the highest projected growth occupations in

Rhode Island;  now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby declares the month of February to be "Career and Technical Education Month" in our

state; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby urges all citizens, students, and employers to

become familiar with the services and benefits offered by career and technical education

programs in this state and to support these programs in their mission of preparing Rhode Island’s

future workforce; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Department of

Elementary and Secondary Education and the Chair of the Board of Education.

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