Career and Technical Education (CTE) is uniquely situated to support students’ learning and development through hands-on training and industry credentials that prepare them to enter the workforce and thrive in family-sustaining jobs. State policy should help interested students enter these programs without unnecessary barriers or delays.

Unfortunately, not all students who are interested in CTE get the chance to explore it. Too many are put on long waitlists or unable to participate at all. Aging facilities, lack of predictable funding, and difficulty recruiting and retaining educators are just some of the reasons that CTE programs are forced to put students on waitlists. But another is the requirement that students must wait until their senior year to take the end of program assessment, known as the NOCTI exam.

Currently, a student who is ready to take the exam before their senior year cannot – putting unnecessary time between their coursework and the end of program assessment. This also has the unintended consequence of ‘holding up a seat’ that could be available to another student earlier.  By allowing students to complete their coursework and take the NOCTI earlier, students can then pursue work-based learning or additional industry-recognized credentials, freeing up their ‘seat’ for incoming students.

While certainly not the only solution to our growing waitlists, removing this requirement is a practical step we can take now to help. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation so more students can take advantage of the specialized learning and valuable workforce preparation that CTE provides.