Many challenging issues were debated during the 2008 presidential campaign, including the war in Iraq, national security, the tightening of immigration laws, improved health care, stabilizing social security, American competitiveness, and educational reform, just to name a few.

Those in the automotive manufacturing and service repair industries, and those who train future and current service repair technicians are particularly concerned about the latter two issues, American competitiveness and educational reform. We believe that these two issues are closely aligned and are keys to the future of America's vitality and continued economic growth.

While we applaud the previous administration and Congress for the attention that has been given these two issues in recent months, we believe that critical elements have eluded economists, policy makers, educators and the public at large.

For example, in the past few years more than 300 bills from Congress contained the word "competitiveness" but a consensus policy approach has yet to emerge. There has been a serious disconnect in such legislative proposals and their foci have been fragmented and non-cumulative in their impact on improving the competitiveness of our nation in a global economy. Pending the drafting of any future legislation that addresses the "competitiveness" issue, we encourage policy makers and economists to develop an American competitiveness framework that identifies the critical elements around which future legislation can be targeted, including innovation, research and development, manufacturing, and worker productivity.

Former President Bush stated, "The bedrock of America's competitiveness is a well educated and skilled workforce." Yet, with the exception of the recent passage of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act, virtually all public education reform initiatives have been aimed at improving science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) taught outside the context of real life experiences and utility.

While such reform efforts are important and essential in this knowledge-based era, they have done little, if not detracted from, enhancing a highly skilled workforce. Increased demands for more 'academics' and greater academic accountability that have been placed on America's secondary education system have exerted extreme pressure on this nation's proven and highly accountable workforce education system of Career and Technical Education (CTE).

The globalization of business and industry requires workers with core knowledge and skills that can be applied - and quickly upgraded and adapted - in a wide and rapidly changing variety of work settings. There continues to be a strong demand and an inadequate supply of employees with these skill levels. According to a recent Chamber of Commerce survey, almost half of the employers are having a difficult time finding qualified job applicants and more than 90 percent of the respondents in a fairly recent National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) study reported shortages of skilled workers.

According to the Association for Career and Technical Education, high quality CTE can ensure America's future competitiveness through increased student engagement, the innovative integration of math, science and literacy skills, and by meeting the needs of both employers and the economy as a whole. In a study that appeared in the Economics of Education Review 23 (2004), 381-402, researcher John Bishop, et. al. reported that CTE programs help students achieve academic success, experience increases in earnings and improved employment, reduce dropout and absentee rates, and achieve post secondary success. Nations enrolling a large proportion of upper-secondary students in vocational programs that include heavy doses of work-based learning have significantly higher school attendance rates, upper-secondary completion rates and college attendance.

CTE supports strong economic competitiveness by helping secondary and postsecondary education programs increase student engagement, improve math, science and literacy skills, meet America's workforce needs, and meet employer demands for highly skilled workers.

It is imperative that this nation have a balanced approach to educational reform that includes strong science, technology, engineering and math content integrated with a high quality CTE program where students have the opportunity to apply what they learn in the context of the demands of the work place. Higher levels of knowledge and skills for our young people in academic content areas are absolutely essential, but policy makers and education leaders will be derelict if they just add more academic courses without changing the way these courses are taught. Academic credit requirements for high school graduation must recognize the math, science and technology that are taught through CTE so that high schools can sustain a balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all students and the high skill demands of the work place, as well as the college bound.

Substantial increased investments in CTE and substantive educational policy reform will play an integral role in strengthening America's economy and global competitiveness. Mr. President and members of Congress, we encourage you to take a strong stand in promoting a balanced education reform movement that includes high quality career and technical education. In doing so, responsible educational reform will result and American competitiveness will be enhanced.