Problem StatementHow should the U.S. government revitalize career and technical education (CTE) to meet 21st century needs, including collaboration and partnership between K-12 public education and the workforce? ContextThe need for a national vocational training program to be guided by certain principles. First, CTE can help keep students in school. In 2011, 7% of American students dropped out of high school (“Dropout rates,” n.d.). CTE programs help keep students in school because they connect what students are learning to the outside world, giving students purpose and motivation to finish school. They also tend to focus more on hands-on learning, which can appeal to a different student style than traditional education. Second, CTE can improve job prospects for students who graduate with a high school diploma. About 3/4 of the workforce starts with less than a 4 year college degree. Many of them do not have the necessary skills to carry out the available jobs (“School-work”, 1994). Public schools and community colleges must help these students develop skills for the workplace and/or motivate them to continue their education. The unemployment rate for graduates is 4.3%. However, for those with a college degree, unemployment is 3% (Liming & Wolf, 2008). School-based CTE programs can help high school graduates have employment rates closer to those of students with associate degrees because they have more training in their profession. Students with a high school diploma typically work in industries such as transportation, food service, manufacturing, construction, installation and maintenance, and particularly in positions such as carpenters, bricklayers, electricians... middle of paper... .. .v/fastfacts/display.asp?id=16Hughes, K. L., Bailey, T. R., & Mechur, M. J. (2001). School-to-work: Making a difference in education. Retrieved from Teachers College, Columbia University website: http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED449364Liming, D., & Wolf, M. (2008, Fall). Job Outlook by Education, 2006-2016. Quarterly Employment Outlook, 2-29. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2008/fall/art01.pdfNAPE 2013 Perkins Act Reauthorization Position Paper. (2013). Retrieved from the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity website: http://www.napequity.org/public-policy/current-laws-and-bills/carl-perkins-career-technical-education-act/Obama, BH ( Presenter). (2014, January 28). State of the Union Address. Speech presented on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, 103-239 USC (1994). Retrieved from http://www.fessler.com/SBE/act.htm