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Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) today praised Wisconsin technical colleges while speaking in support of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2353), of which he is a co-sponsor, during a House Education and the Workforce Committee markup of the bill.

Excerpts of Grothman’s remarks

“I’m honored to cosponsor this bill today. I think the bill moves the federal involvement in technical education the right way.

“We have a great technical college system in the state of Wisconsin. It’s largely funded by local taxes and the local property tax payer. Obviously, tuition plays a role in funding it, and the state plays a role in funding it.

“I was pleased to be involved in a variety of initiatives when I was in the state legislature in Wisconsin, and I’m glad that a lot of people are recognizing that we have too many people going to a traditional four-year college.

“Hopefully, it will be an end to this idea that four-year college is for everybody.

“Nevertheless, I felt like I should speak up because I’m getting too much of a sense of enthusiasm that the federal government should get more and more involved in local tech schools. And that’s not true.

“We did a great job in Wisconsin without a lot of federal involvement. I think there’s more flexibility here, which is why I’m proud to co-sponsor the bill. I think it does give politicians, including myself, the opportunity to point out to young people out there that a lot of times the path to financial independence goes through learning a skill or trade than earning a four-year degree.

“We should always remember that the states and the local units of government are perfectly capable of figuring this stuff out themselves.”

Click here to view Grothman’s full remarks.

Background

Currently in the U.S., 44.2 million Americans have a combined student loan debt of $1.44 trillion due to an increased number of students entering four-year colleges. The average bachelor’s degree in the U.S. now costs $127,000, while the average trade school degree costs $33,000.

By 2018, it’s estimated the 47 million job openings will require an associate’s degree or certificate the can be attained through a Career and Technical Education program. Workers with technical degrees can make upwards of $90,000 depending on specialty.

H.R. 2353 helps career and technical education services provide students with the skills they need to compete for jobs that exist in our local communities by removing Washington bureaucrats from the day-to-day operations of the schools, and by giving states more flexibility to use federal funds to support Career and Technical Education programs.

The Education and the Workforce Committee voted unanimously to advance the bill.

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U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is serving his second term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.