Washington, D.C. – Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA) announced today they reestablished the 21st Century Skills Caucus (21CS Caucus) for the 115th Congress. The caucus will serve as a bipartisan platform for advancing the discussion on how to better equip K-12 students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in the global economy.

The 21CS Caucus will provide a forum to identify best practices for integrating 21st century skills into our education system. The caucus will form partnerships with leaders in education, business, and government to tackle this important issue.

“Today's students will need more than reading, writing and arithmetic to succeed, so we must start preparing our students today for the jobs of 21st century. Over the next decade, millions of jobs will need to be filled, but the skills gap is expected to result in many of those job positions going unfilled,” said Rep. Loebsack. “I am pleased to renew the bipartisan 21st Century Skills Caucus with Congressman Costello to foster innovation in the classroom that will provide our students with the skills they need to succeed when they enter the workforce.”

“The 21st century workforce is a dynamic environment full of opportunity, but in order for these opportunities to be realized, our workforce must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be successful in a competitive job market,” said Rep. Costello. “Through the 21CS Caucus, Congress has the opportunity to support our local schools in their efforts to equip students with critical employability skills from an early age, and I look forward to collaborating with Congressman Loebsack and my colleagues on this effort again this Congress.”

The Caucus works in tandem with the Partnership for 21st Century Learning to provide a platform for leaders, advocates, practitioners, and organizations to brief Members of Congress about the importance of 21st century skills for our nation’s students.

Last Congress, the House passed H.R. 5587, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. The legislation contained provisions advocated for by Reps. Loebsack and Costello promoting the importance of learning strategies that emphasize the development of creative thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity-building skills in the classroom.

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