Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2021

To amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study for small business development centers and women’s business centers, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2021 2. Sense of Congress It is the sense Congress that— (1) career and technical education provides individuals with coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in current or emerging professions; (2) career and technical education provides technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, a certificate, or an associate degree; (3) career and technical education includes competency-based applied learning which contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of an industry, including entrepreneurship, of an individual; (4) employment opportunities provided through recognized postsecondary credentials (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ( 29 U.S.C. 3102 (5) career and technical professions are desirable and often high-skill, high-wage occupations; and (6) career and technical education provides individuals with just as competitive and practical of a career path as attending a traditional four-year college or university. 3. Inclusion of career and technical education (a) Definition Section 3 of the Small Business Act is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (gg) Career and technical education The term career and technical education 20 U.S.C. 2302 . (b) Small business development centers Section 21(c)(3) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 648(c)(1) (1) in subparagraph (T), by striking and (2) in clause (v) of the first subparagraph (U) (relating to succession planning), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; (3) in second subparagraph (U) (relating to training on domestic and international intellectual property protections)— (A) in clause (ii)(II), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (B) by redesignating such subparagraph as subparagraph (V); and (4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs: (W) assisting small businesses in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs or programs of study; and (X) assisting graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study in starting up a small business concern. . (c) Women’s business centers Section 29(b) of the Small Business Act ( 15 U.S.C. 656(b) (1) in paragraph (2), by striking and (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (4) assistance for small business concerns to hire graduates from career and technical education programs or programs of study; and (5) assistance for graduates of career and technical education programs or programs of study to start up a small business concern. .

Summary: Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2021 This bill includes within the responsibilities of Small Business Development Centers and Women's Business Centers the provision of assistance to small businesses in hiring graduates from career and technical education programs and to graduates of such programs in starting small businesses.