Celebrating Career and Technical Education

Across North Missouri, businesses are always on the hunt for dependable, skilled workers who have received specialized training. Whether it’s welders, machinists, mechanics, IT professionals, healthcare workers, chefs, or any other skilled jobs, businesses need trained workers to fill them. Thankfully, career and technical education is becoming more available in our high schools every day to get folks trained and ready.

February is National Career and Technical Education Month, and I joined several of my colleagues in introducing a resolution in the House supporting our career and technical education schools across North Missouri and the country. Our resolution recognizes its importance in training a skilled workforce and encouraging parents, educators, and schools to promote career and technical education as a great option for students.  

Over the last several years, I’ve been proud to support several of our North Missouri career and technical education schools as they seek to expand their facilities and training opportunities. Earlier this month, I announced that Grand River Technical School in Chillicothe will receive funding for their new state of the art facility that will enable them to train students in a 7-county region.

Work is already well underway on the Hannibal Innovation Campus, a brand-new technical education center that will serve students from 7 school districts around Northeast Missouri. I secured funding for that project a few years back and look forward to its completion later this summer. Those are just a few examples, but our career and technical education centers across North Missouri are training up students, and adults in many cases, from across multiple counties, ensuring that we continue to fill those skilled jobs in every corner of the district.

We’re blessed in Missouri to have a wide range of educational opportunities for our students. It’s critical we get them trained and placed in whatever field they desire to pursue, and I’m glad that forward-thinking folks are looking for ways to make those options available. Whether it's tech education, college, or something else, the future is bright for the next generation in North Missouri.

Sincerely,

Sam Graves