WASHINGTON, D.C. – An Obama administration proposal to award $1 billion in competitive grant funding to career and technical education is expected to help usher in a new era for how students are prepared for college and careers.
That was the heart of the message U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan delivered Tuesday at a national conference for career academy educators.
“We see this investment as a critical part of our overall vision to expand career and technical programs,” Duncan told about 1,300 individuals convening this week for the annual conference of the National Academy Foundation, or NAF.
To draw down the proposed competitive grant funding, career academies will have to partner with institutions of higher learning and the private sector and secure 25 percent matching funds.
“This will encourage engagement and sustainability for the long haul,” Duncan said.
Duncan said awarding the proposed funding competitively to consortiums that involve postsecondary institutions and the private sector is in line with the administration’s plans to “break down silos.”
“Communities have to come together to help our young people be successful,” Duncan said.
