Perkins V

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The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) was signed into law on July 31, 2018. The law reauthorizes and updates the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to ensure career and technical education (CTE) programs meet the demands of the twenty-first-century economy. Perkins V represents an important opportunity to expand opportunities for every student to explore, choose, and follow career and technical education programs of study and career pathways to earn credentials of value.

In 2019, The California Workforce Pathways Joint Advisory Committee developed the Federal Perkins V State Plan which identified a wide-ranging effort to create a world-class CTE system that can strengthen education and workforce preparation available to all Californians.

Key principles of the plan include:

• Focus on a Student-Centered Delivery of Services for all K–14+ college and career pathways, which accommodates multiple entry points to facilitate students’ needs to build their skills as they progress along a continuum of education and training, or advance in a sector-specific occupation or industry.
• Promote Equity and Access by eliminating institutional barriers and achievement gaps for all students to realize their educational and career aspirations.
• Achieve System Alignment in the economic regions of the State in order to create a comprehensive and well-defined system of articulation of high- quality K–14+ pathway courses (i.e., both in-person and online) and work- based learning opportunities with a specific emphasis on CTE. Bring greater coherence to programming, common use of terminology, appropriate data collection and sharing, and attainment of student outcomes in a timely way that lead to upward mobility in California’s Industry Sectors. System alignment allows for greater student portability and career advancement.
• Support the Continuous Improvement and Capacity Building at all levels and components to ensure smooth transitions in the system and focus efforts on implementation of State standards, attainment of student outcomes, and a strengthening of California’s regional economies.
• Ensure that State Priorities and Direction Lead the State Plan with opportunities in Perkins V leveraged to assist in accomplishing the State goals and objectives for student achievement, also known as “the California Way.”

For more information about Perkins V, visit California Community College Chancellor’s Office Economic and Workforce Development.