Perkins V Engagement Process

AED helped lead the charge in Washington for the Career & Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), which modernized career and technical education (CTE) programs to address the skills gap and educate students for in-demand careers. Enacted last summer, the law requires states to work closely with all stakeholders, including our industry, to develop and submit detailed plans on how it intends to distribute the $1.3 billion of Department of Education funding that’s divided between states for CTE programs. Each state must submit a local needs assessment and engage the local business community throughout the process, culminating in submitting a comprehensive Perkins V plan to the Department of Education next spring.

It is vital for AED members to engage with this process to ensure your state is targeting CTE resources to diesel technician training programs. To do so:

  1. Click here and select your state in the drop down box marked “Select a State/Territory.”
  2. Under the “State Profile,” select the option “CTE Contacts.” The name and email address for your state CTE director will appear.
  3. Download the draft letter. Insert the name of the CTE director and his/her email into the address field. Complete the highlighted fields with pertinent state and company information. Before sending, ensure all the information is correct and no highlights or brackets remain. Feel free to personalize or edit the email as you’d like. A recommended subject line is “Perkins V Stakeholder Engagement Request.”
  4. Send the email, blind copy (bcc) Jena Hencin (jhencin@aednet.org) and if you don’t hear from the state CTE office after a week, follow up with a phone call. Please keep Marty McCormack with The AED Foundation up-to-date on the responses you receive from your state CTE office so we can disseminate to other AED members.
  5. Plan to attend any stakeholder meetings or other events related to your state’s plan development. Prior to attending, it’s recommended you familiarize yourself with the process by visiting their website and watching the videos.

The AED Foundation is looking for one or more AED member companies to serve as a State Leader for your respective state during the Perkins V stakeholder engagement process. If you’re interested, please click here to provide your contact information following submission of the letter to your state’s CTE Director.