Sauk Prairie School District’s Troy Talford attends technical education event

Troy Talford, Agriculture Teacher and School to Work Coordinator at Sauk Prairie School District, participated in a three-day advocacy event as part of over 400 career and technical education (CTE) professionals who gathered at the Association for Career and Technical Education’s (ACTE) 2023 National Policy Seminar from March 19-22 in Arlington, VA. During this highly collaborative event, Talford attended briefing sessions on the latest news in education policy and met with policymakers on Capitol Hill to educate them about the value of CTE for learners in Sauk Prairie School District and the State of Wisconsin. While attending the National Policy Seminar, Troy Talford visited with staff from Senator Tammy Baldwin, Ron Johnson, and Mark Pocan’s offices to encourage robust federal support for CTE and other education and workforce development programs.  During the evening of March 21, eight career and technical student organizations (CTSOs) participated in a reception hosted by the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) honoring the contributions of the national CTSOs and the role that they play in providing students opportunities to develop leadership and career skills and engage in community service through CTE. Attendees were joined by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) for mingling and remarks. Kaine, a co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus and a consistent leader on national education and workforce policy, addressed the audience to thank them for their service to America’s students and their commitment to developing a 21st-century workforce. Young, the lead Republican co-chair of the caucus, offered his thoughts on the challenges facing the workforce as economic competitiveness emerges as a congressional priority. Attendees also heard remarks from a panel of congressional staff who provided their insiders’ perspective on what to expect in the coming weeks and months as Congress considers several landmark education policy issues during 2023, including potential reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), expansion of shorter-term Pell Grants for high-quality workforce programs and boosting federal support for CTE state grants. During the opening keynote session, attendees heard high-level Washington insights from political reporter Daniel Lippman, who shared his thoughts on the complex national political landscape and his forecast for Congress’ next big moves. ACTE members utilized each of the informational sessions to shape their meetings with lawmakers as they advocated for support for CTE policy priorities on both sides of the aisle. The 2023 National Policy Seminar also included a day-long CTE Innovation Summit, which brought together leaders to learn about trends that will help them respond to the ever-changing American economy. Innovations in virtual reality (VR) technology, electric cars, CTE programs of study and more were covered during the event. CTE delivers hands-on training and skills development to more than 94 percent of America’s secondary school students, and nearly 12 million students nationwide across secondary and postsecondary levels. Now more than ever, the nation must provide the investments critically necessary to sustain CTE, as well as provide an investment in CTE that fully prepares our nation’s workforce for 21st century careers.