The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act which amended the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 was signed into law on July 31, 2018.

This $1.2 billion annual federal investment serves as the primary federal investment in career and technical education (CTE) throughout the United States.

This legislation contains the requirement that local recipients of Perkins funding must complete a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA) via survey of local business and industry.