WHEREAS: Career and technical education (CTE) offers students the opportunity to gain the academic, technical, and employability skills necessary for true career readiness; 
 
WHEREAS: Students in career and technical education programs participate in authentic, meaningful experiences that improve the quality of their education and increase student engagement and achievement;  
 
WHEREAS: Career and technical education provides students with career exploration opportunities earlier in their educational experience, which enables them to make informed and beneficial decisions about their academic coursework as well as the pursuit of established programs of study and career pathways; 
 
WHEREAS: Leaders from business and industry nationwide report increasing challenges related to addressing the skills gap and connecting qualified professionals with available careers in critical and growing CTE-related fields, including healthcare, energy, advanced manufacturing, and information technology; 
 
WHEREAS: Career and technical education prepares students for these and other fulfilling careers by offering integrated programs of study that link secondary and postsecondary education and lead to the attainment of industry-recognized credentials; 
 
WHEREAS: Ensuring that employers have access to a qualified workforce is a crucial step in ensuring productivity among the business and industry communities as well as continued American economic growth and global competitiveness; and
 
WHEREAS:  A core pillar of my education reform plan – Arkansas LEARNS – is readiness, placing a stronger emphasis on policies that prepare our kids for the workforce, not a lifetime of government dependency;
 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, Governor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Arkansas, do hereby proclaim February 2023, as 

“CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION MONTH IN ARKANSAS”

And I urge all citizens to join voluntarily me in recognizing these healthcare professionals for their contribution in adding to the quality of life in our country
 
           IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 31st day of January, in the year of our Lord 2023.

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