Mary-Louise Hoffman
The CEOs of Northrop Grumman and IBM have jointly urged Congress to pass legislation that would reauthorize and update the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.
Northrop’s Wes Bush, a four-time 2018 Wash100 recipient, and IBM’s Ginni Rometty wrote in a joint opinion piece published Friday on CNBC the proposed bill would fund CTE programs that seek to prepare students for current in-demand positions.
“With nearly 16 million new collar jobs to be added in the U.S. by 2024, we must ensure our students have the skills they need to take on these roles,” Bush and Rometty noted.
Both executives said that some government-industry-academic initiatives such as the Pathways to Technology Early College High School and High School Involvement Partnership aim to help bridge a skills gap.
Bipartisan support to pass Perkins Act would encourage different organizations to establish public-private partnership programs to address job market requirements, according to Bush and Rometty.
“Lawmakers should prioritize key areas where the law can be improved to better support the needs of students and employers alike.”
