Senate Resolution No. 242 BY: Senator MURRAY MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim February 2025, as Teach CTE Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in participating in days and months of awareness for important community and education issues; and WHEREAS, It is also the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize the dedication and commitment of our educators who distinguish themselves through excellence in teaching and to encourage others to pursue the field of education to continue to best support student growth and the needs of future learners, contribute to the expansion of opportunities and to promote program development aligned with workforce trends; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to recognize and to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim February 2025, as Teach CTE Month in the State of New York, recognizing the contributions and the importance of the field of Career and Technical Education for students, educators and industry partners; and WHEREAS, More investment is needed to scale and grow Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs across the state to meet future workforce demands and to ensure that all learners receive an equitable experience through the awareness of opportunities; and WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the invaluable contribution of career and technical education to the future workers in our state in an effort to increase workforce readiness and industry development, as 49 percent of jobs in our great state require skills training, however 37 percent are trained at this level; and WHEREAS, Career and Technical Education professionals assist students all across New York in exploring, planning for, and training for their future occupation through a comprehensive experience that provides for higher rates of high school graduation than non-CTE peers, industry credentials, licenses, postsecondary certificates, college degrees, work-based learning opportunities, industry based learning and cross-curricular applications in the disciplines of math, science, ELA, oral and written communication, ascetic, and the development of soft skills; and WHEREAS, There are numerous career and technical education organizations throughout this great state that provide training and professional development in every sector of the New York State economy; and WHEREAS, The New York State Association for Career and Technical Education (NYSACTE) is a statewide organization representing and supporting thousands of career and technical education professionals who work collaboratively with students, educators and industry to carry out the mission of NYSACTE in developing a competitive workforce; and WHEREAS, NYSACTE members understand that together, as Career and Technical Educators, it is critical to offer cutting edge, rigorous and relevant education that prepares individuals for high-wage, high-scale, high-demand careers in established and emerging industries; and WHEREAS, This education addresses the needs of closing the skills gap through placing an emphasis on fostering leadership skills inside and outside of the classroom, as well as offering students the opportunity to work together to accomplish goals, run student-centered events and meetings where ideas, initiatives and solutions are developed through project-based learning to develop a foundation of skills that will help students learn how to excel as future leaders in the workforce of tomorrow; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that the importance of the field of teaching in the Career and Technical Education sector should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim February 2025, as Teach CTE Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.