Whereas the national economy relies on workers who possess analytical and practical skills; Whereas there are 16 career clusters within career and technical education to include: Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio and Video Technology, and Communications; Business, Management and Administration; Education and Training; Finance; Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Hospitality and Tourism; Human Services; Information Technology; Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security; Manufacturing; Marketing, Sales, and Service; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics; Whereas between 2012 and 2022, there will be over 50,000,000 job openings for career and technical education graduates, 30 percent of the jobs will be newly created positions; Whereas there will be 68 percent more job openings in infrastructure-related fields over the next 5 years than there are individuals training to fill them; Whereas career and technical education jobs exist in both the public and private sector; Whereas career and technical education graduates are more likely to be employed than others with academic credentials, and are more likely to work in their field of study; Whereas the United States has 30,000,000 jobs providing an average income of $55,000 per year that do not require a bachelor’s degree but require some level of postsecondary education; Whereas students participating in career and technical education have a lower probability of dropping out of high school and a higher probability of graduating on time; Whereas the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ( 20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) serves as the primary Federal law focused on supporting and developing career and technical education