By their very nature, career and technical education (CTE) programs supported by the "Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act," as amended by the "Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act" (Perkins V) span secondary and postsecondary education and strive to reflect state, regional, and local labor markets. CTE programs help to underpin America's workforce and seek to engage young people and adult learners at an economy of scale needed to address employer needs. The education industry is at a critical point, struggling to find its future workforce. It is important that CTE be part of a comprehensive strategy at the state and local levels to address this challenge. This Dear Colleague letter describes the wide-ranging challenges impacting CTE programs and participants. The fact sheet following the letter, including a frequently asked questions section, describes allowable activities and strategies for which the $1.43 billion appropriated each year through those state formula grants may be used strategically by states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and community colleges to strengthen the pipeline of educators, including specialized instructional support personnel, to address shortages of educators that are straining the educational system.