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The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (hereafter referred to as Perkins V) amended the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. Perkins V is a federal education program that invests in secondary and postsecondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Perkins V is dedicated to increasing learner access to high-quality CTE Programs of Study by seeking to ensure these programs meet the changing needs of learners and employers with a focus on systems alignment and program improvement. CTE Programs of Study funded by Perkins V must prepare learners for in-demand, high-skill, or high-wage careers.
The Federal Programs unit is responsible for assisting postsecondary students acquire challenging academic and technical skills and be prepared for high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations in the 21st century global economy.
<ul>
	<li>Administer the basic grant program under the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V).</li>
	<li>Provide assistance to colleges to improve quality, implementation, and accountability of Perkins-funded programs.</li>
	<li>Establish statewide initiatives to empower colleges to better implement high-quality CTE programs.</li>
</ul>

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The purpose of the Perkins V funding is to develop more fully the academic knowledge and technical and employability skills of secondary education students and postsecondary education students who elect to enroll in CTE programs and programs of study through the following activities:
1. Build on the efforts of states and localities to develop challenging academic and technical standards. This includes assisting students in meeting such standards, preparing them for high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations in current or emerging professions.
2. Promote the development of services and activities that integrate rigorous and challenging academic Career and Technical instruction. These activities should also link secondary education and postsecondary education for participating Career and Technical Education students.
3. Increase state and local flexibility in providing services and activities designed to develop, implement, and improve Career and Technical Education.
4. Conduct and disseminate national research, sharing information on best practices that improve Career and Technical Education programs and programs of study, services, and activities.
5. Provide technical assistance that promotes leadership, initial preparation, and professional development at the state and local levels; improves the quality of Career and Technical Education teachers, faculty, administrators, and counselors.
6. Supports partnerships among secondary schools, postsecondary institutions, baccalaureate degree-granting institutions, area Career and Technical Education schools, local workforce investment boards, business and industry, and intermediaries.
7. Offer individuals opportunities throughout their lifetimes to develop, in conjunction with other education and training programs, the knowledge and skills needed to keep the United States competitive.
8. Increase employment opportunities for populations who are chronically unemployed or underemployed, including individuals identified by Perkins V as a special population.

Perkins V mandates six essential activities, which must be accounted for even in the absence of specific grant funding in those domains. Colleges are required to document actions taken within each of these areas and identify the source of funding supporting them, whether it be Perkins, local/state, both, other, or none. The mandated activity areas include:
1. Conducting career exploration and development activities within a structured and systematic framework.
2. Offering professional development opportunities for CTE educators.
3. Ensuring CTE Programs of Study provide the skills necessary for pursuing careers in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industries or roles.
4. Facilitating the integration of academic competencies into CTE programs.
5. Develop a strategy to implement components that enhance the execution of CTE programs and studies, leading to improved student outcomes.
6. Creating and executing an evaluation plan for activities financed through Perkins.

Local allocations to colleges are determined using the formula in Section 132, which is based on each college’s share of eligible postsecondary CTE students. The calculation uses the number of students who receive Pell Grants and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) assistance and who have completed at least 12 credit hours in an approved CTE program of study while pursuing a credential. Each college receives a pro rata share based on its portion of these eligible students compared to the statewide total.
Colleges or consortia of colleges offering CTE programs are eligible for Perkins V funds provided that the funding to be allocated through the formula-funding process is not less than $50,000. Colleges not meeting a minimum of $50,000 using the formula are not eligible to receive a direct allotment. However, a consortium of one or more colleges may be formed as defined by Section 3(19). In a consortium, one college is designated as the fiscal agent, and the consortium receives the total amount each college would have received individually. Colleges must plan their Local Plan and Budget together based on the needs of the regional CLNA as outlined in Section 131(f).

Perkins V identified the following three accountability measures called the Core Indicators of Performance.
<h3>1P1 – Post-Program Placement</h3>
The percentage of CTE concentrators who, during the second quarter after program completion, remain enrolled in postsecondary education, are in advanced training, military service, or a service program that receives assistance under title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511 et seq.), are volunteers as described in section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)), or are placed or retained in employment.
<h3>2P1 – Earned Recognized Postsecondary Credential</h3>
The percentage of CTE concentrators who receive a recognized postsecondary credential during participation in or within 1 year of program completion.
*This means that a student gets counted under this indicator whether the student obtains the credential during participation or within 1 year of completion. The Department interprets "within 1 year of completion" to have the plain meaning of those words: "that the student would be counted if the student obtains the credential in the 1 year following that student's completion of the program.
<h3>3P1 – Nontraditional Program Concentration</h3>
The percentage of CTE concentrators in career and technical education programs and programs of study that lead to non-traditional fields.*
*This means that a student gets counted under this indicator if individuals from their gender comprise less than 25 percent of the individuals employed in the related occupation or field of work.

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