PREPARING A GLOBALLY COMPETENT WORKFORCE AND CITIZENRY

Again, consider these statistics: * The United States has 40 million people who are foreign-born, more than at any other time in its history.4 * Twenty percent of the population (older than five years) speaks a language other than English at home.5 * It is estimated that by 2060, the Hispanic population in the U.S. will double to one in three of all Americans.6 This means that not only will the population of students in our career and technical education (CTE) classrooms change, bringing vast cultural resources with them, but also within their own communities these students will be working with people whose backgrounds may be vastly different from their own. Because it is increasingly the world's common language for commerce and communication, globally competent students are proficient in English, as well as in at least one other world language.