Illinois Rep. Krishnamoorthi leads 237 lawmakers urging Senate to move job-training act

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Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, is urging the U.S. Senate to clear legislation relating to technical education for 21st century jobs. The Thompson-Krishnamoorthi act that passed the House unanimously this June aims to improve technical skills of the workforce to meet the challenges of fast-changing technology.  Two hundred and thirty five other Members of the House of Representatives have joined him in a letter to the Education Committee in the U.S. Senate.

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, was co-sponsored with Republican Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson of Pennsylvania, in a rare show of bipartisan approach in Congress.

“It’s not often these days that we see a piece of serious legislation pass the House with bipartisan support, never mind unanimously, but that’s exactly what happened with this bill because Democrats and Republicans agree that we need to modernize our career and technical education system,” Krishnamoorthi said in a press statement Nov. 20. “The House has done its part by passing this legislation unanimously and through our letter, my colleagues and I are calling upon the Senate to do the same. A four-year degree may not be for everyone but an education must be, and this bill will help make that a reality.”

The Thompson-Krishnamoorthi act aims to modernize career, technical, and vocational education through increasing local control and employer involvement to focus curricula on in-demand skills. By requiring educators to work directly with local employers to identify the skills needed in the work force, the Thompson-Krishnamoorthi Act hopes to ensure that career and technical education programs prepare students not just for their next job, but for a good-paying, family-sustaining career, Krishnamoorthi said in a press release.