ployability skills through education and on-the-job 
training. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to support 
the development of middle school career exploration pro-
grams linked to career and technical education programs 
of study. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION EX-
PLORATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘career and tech-
nical education exploration program’’ means a pro-
gram that is developed through an organized, sys-
temic framework and is designed to aid students in 
making informed plans and decisions about future 
education and career opportunities and enrollment in 
career and technical education programs of study. 
(2) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble partnership’’ means an entity that— 
(A) shall include— 
(i) not less than 1 local educational 
agency that receives funding under section 
131 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
U.S.C. 2351), or an area career and tech-
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nical education school or educational serv-
ice agency described in such section; 
(ii) not less than 1 eligible institution 
that receives funding under section 132 of 
the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 
Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2352); 
and 
(iii) not less than 1 representative of 
either a local or regional business, indus-
try, nonprofit organization, or apprentice-
ship program; and 
(B) may include other representatives of 
the community, including representatives of 
parents’ organizations, labor organizations, 
nonprofit organizations, employers, and rep-
resentatives of local workforce development 
boards (established under subtitle A of title I of 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
SEC. 4. CAREER EXPLORATION PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT 
GRANTS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary shall create a 
pilot program to support the establishment of career and 
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technical education exploration programs. In carrying out 
the pilot program, the Secretary shall award grants to eli-
gible partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to de-
velop middle school career and technical education explo-
ration programs that are aligned with career and technical 
education programs of study described in section 
122(c)(1)(A) of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical 
Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2342(c)(1)(A)). 
(b) GRANT DURATION.—Grants awarded under this 
Act shall be for a period of not more than 4 years. 
(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible partnership seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Sec-
retary may require. Each application shall include— 
(1) a description of the partner entities com-
prising the eligible partnership, the roles and respon-
sibilities of each partner, and a demonstration of 
each partner’s capacity to support the program; 
(2) a description of how the eligible partnership 
will use grant funds to carry out each of the activi-
ties described under subsection (e); 
(3) a description of how the middle school ca-
reer and technical education exploration program 
aligns to regional economies and local emerging 
workforce needs; 
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(4) a description of how the new middle school 
career and technical education exploration program 
is linked to— 
(A) 1 or more career and technical edu-
cation programs of study offered by the agency 
or school described in section 3(b)(2)(A)(i); and 
(B) 1 or more career and technical edu-
cation programs of study offered by the postsec-
ondary 
institution 
described 
in 
section 
3(b)(2)(A)(ii); 
(5) a description of the students that will be 
served by the middle school career and technical 
education exploration program; 
(6) a description of how the middle school ca-
reer and technical education exploration program 
funded by the grant will be replicable; 
(7) a description of how the eligible partnership 
will disseminate information about best practices re-
sulting from the middle school career and technical 
education exploration program to similar career and 
technical education programs of study, including 
such programs in urban and rural areas; 
(8) a description of how the middle school ca-
reer and technical education exploration program 
will be implemented; 
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(9) a description of how the middle school ca-
reer and technical education exploration program 
will provide accessibility to students, especially eco-
nomically disadvantaged, low-performing, and urban 
and rural students; and 
(10) a description of how the eligible partner-
ship will carry out the evaluation required under 
subsection (f). 
(d) SELECTION OF GRANTEES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall deter-
mine, based on the peer review process described in 
paragraph (3) and subject to the requirement in 
paragraph (4), which eligible partnership applicants 
shall receive funding under this Act, and the amount 
of the grant funding under this Act that each se-
lected eligible partnership will receive. 
(2) GRANT
AMOUNTS.—In determining the 
amount of each grant awarded under this Act, the 
Secretary shall— 
(A) ensure that all grants are of sufficient 
size, scope, and quality to be effective; and 
(B) take into account the total amount of 
funds available for all grants under this Act 
and the types of activities proposed to be car-
ried out by the eligible partnership. 
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(3) PEER REVIEW PROCESS.— 
(A) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
PEER
REVIEW 
COMMITTEE.—The Secretary shall convene a 
peer review committee to review applications for 
grants under this Act and to make rec-
ommendations to the Secretary regarding the 
selection of grantees. 
(B) MEMBERS OF THE PEER REVIEW COM-
MITTEE.—The peer review committee shall in-
clude the following members: 
(i) Educators who have experience im-
plementing career and technical education 
programs and career exploration programs. 
(ii) Experts in the field of career and 
technical education. 
(4) RURAL
OR
SMALL
LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL 
AGENCIES.—The Secretary shall set aside not less 
than 5 percent of the funds made available to award 
grants under this Act to award grants to eligible 
partnerships that include rural or small local edu-
cational agencies, as defined by the Secretary. 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.—Each eligible partnership re-
ceiving a grant under this section shall use grant funds 
to develop and implement a middle school career and tech-
nical education exploration program that— 
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