WHEREAS, career and technical education programs in Virginia public schools are designed to prepare young people for productive futures while meeting the Commonwealth's need for well-trained and industry-certified technical workers; and

WHEREAS, there is a shortage of highly qualified career and technical education teachers in the Commonwealth, especially in the fields of agricultural education, technology education, and family and consumer sciences;

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth's two land grant universities, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia State University, are uniquely qualified to educate and produce highly qualified teachers in the fields of agricultural education, technology education, and family and consumer sciences; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia State University be requested to jointly study strategies to mitigate the Commonwealth's shortage of career and technical education teachers in the fields of agricultural education, technology education, and family and consumer sciences.

In conducting their study, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia State University shall evaluate their current teacher education programs and the programs' output of agricultural education, technology education, and family and consumer sciences teachers; consider effective recruitment efforts for such fields; consider effective strategies implemented by other states; review any other relevant issues; and make recommendations as appropriate.

Technical assistance shall be provided to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia State University by the Department of Education. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia State University for this study, upon request.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and Virginia State University shall complete their meetings by November 30, 2017, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of their findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2018 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.