Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (generally referred to as Perkins V) provides an opportunity for Career and Technical Education to help drive Idaho towards our goal of 60% of Idahoans between the ages of 25 and 34 possessing a degree or certificate by 2025, improve the occupational outlook of our students, and provide the skilled workforce Idaho employers need.  The Act also supports the recommendations of Idaho’s 2017 Workforce Development Task Force, to build CTE secondary and postsecondary program capacity to meet workforce demand. 

Objectives:

• As part of the Federal Perkins re-authorization in 2018, states are being given an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally change how they spend their federal CTE funds. States are now expected to invest in programs of study, better prepare students for careers, and more closely link their programs to labor market needs. Idaho will work to accomplish these objectives through key activities: 

• Improving relationships between secondary and postsecondary through transition-centered activities and stronger college and career advising 
• Strengthening the direct pipeline from secondary to postsecondary education within CTE 
• Connecting Perkins projects to labor market needs

• Perkins funds will now only be used for projects that are linked to a CTE pathway (Perkins Program of Study). Cluster programs will continue to be funded using other state funding sources. 
• While Idaho will keep Technical Skills Assessments as a performance measure, Idaho will also add a Career Technical Student Organization component to both secondary and postsecondary performance measures. 
• Recipients will be required to use a portion of their Perkins funding to support a transition project. Transition projects will be used to improve the alignment and function of programs of study between the secondary and postsecondary levels. 
• All Perkins activities will be driven by local needs assessments. Needs assessments will be data driven by in-demand occupations in the state, region, and/or local area. 
• All Perkins recipients must participate in annual equity training to meet the needs of special populations or other underrepresented groups.