The Education for Tomorrow's Jobs Act would combine rigorous college preparation with workplace experience in an effort to improve student engagement, academic achievement, and success after high school.

The legislation encourages the use of federal funds to support Linked Learning, a high school reform strategy in place throughout California that links demanding technical education and real-world experience in a wide range of high-growth occupations, such as engineering, arts and media, biomedicine, and health. Linked Learning makes the high school experience more relevant and engaging, and evidence suggests that Linked Learning students are more likely to go on to postsecondary education.

Under this proposal, school districts in partnership with local stakeholders, including businesses, unions, parent organizations, and other community members, would implement a system of pathway schools around career themes designated as high-pay, high-growth, and high-skill industries. Students would be exposed to four key components, including a rigorous academic core aligned to the state's postsecondary requirements; career and technical education; work-based learning, and supplemental services.

Supplemental Materials:

Bill Summary

Bill Text

Quotes from sponsors and cosponsors of the legislation:

Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA): "The Education for Tomorrow's Jobs Act is about American competitiveness - an integrated approach to education that will bolster student achievement, graduation rates, college readiness and career readiness, while securing our nation's technical job base so that we can remain globally competitive. We have seen the harmful effects of Washington's education mandates and this bill will allow schools to put forth the framework to ensure students have both the knowledge and skills to graduate high school ready to succeed in college and careers, and live up to the fullest extent of their individual potential."

Representative Judy Chu (D-CA): "I'm proud to reintroduce a bipartisan bill that promotes the Linked Learning approach to high school improvement that has shown dramatic results in California. By showing students the connection between school and the workplace through partnerships in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand industries such as engineering or digital media, we can increase high school graduation rates, raise college attendance rates, and improve jobs prospects for students. The Education for Tomorrow's Jobs Act will modernize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to meet the needs of our changing economy and workforce."

Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI): "One of the most distressing, yet solvable, challenges to rebuilding our economy is adequately training our students with the skills required by growing industries. I hear regularly from business owners who cannot find applicants with career-ready tools to fill job openings and I believe a major reason is the lack of collaboration with our education system. This legislation is vital to create a stronger partnership between our schools and businesses, exposing students to fields that best match their abilities and interests, and providing meaningful opportunities for valuable hands-on experience."

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA): "Young Pennsylvanians, as well as students across the country, deserve an education that helps them build the skills they need for college or a career. The Education for Tomorrow's Jobs Act will help our students succeed in school and secure jobs in the workforce, bolstering our economy and ensuring that America remains competitive. This bill will establish partnerships between educators and area businesses to identify skill sets needed by local industry. Those skills will be integrated into the classroom experience through hands on, project-based learning that keeps students engaged and more likely to graduate from high school."

Quotes from supporters of the legislation:

Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia: "In today's knowledge-based economy, the high school diploma is no longer the end point; it's the jumping off point. Too many of today's high schools are ill-equipped to prepare students for the future workforce. the legislation introduced today would support the expansion of Linked Learning, an innovative and effective strategy to eliminate the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what they learn on the job. By connecting strong academics, demanding technical education and real-world experience in a wide range of high-growth occupations, such as engineering, arts and media, biomedicine, and health, the Linked Learning approach helps to eliminate the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what they learn on the job. The end results are high school graduates who are better prepared to succeed in college and a career, and employers who are more satisfied with their workers.