CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Deal Reached for Bipartisan WIA Reauthorization

Yesterday, Senate and House Democrats and Republicans reached a long-overdue deal to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). WIA was enacted in 1998 in an effort to streamline and improve the federal job training system. Yesterday’s reauthorization deal is the first bipartisan, bicameral deal since the law was due for reauthorization in 2003.

The deal reached, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), is a combination of separate reauthorization bills from the House, the Strengthening Knowledge and Improving Lifelong Skills (SKILLS) Act (H.R.803), and Senate, the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S.1356).

House and Senate negotiators started their negotiations for the deal from the already bipartisan Senate WIA bill, S. 1356, but the final WIOA deal worked through several controversial provisions included in the SKILLS Act, a partisan reauthorization bill.

Several positive provisions that were included in the separate bills made there way into the compromise WIOA deal, including the elimination of the “sequence of services” and direct contracting with community colleges to offer training programs. The deal also includes an emphasis on career pathways for WIA participants and a revision of accountability standards which will help to reduce burden on training providers and better accounts for WIA participants who continue into postsecondary education.

The final deal did eliminate several programs, some of which have not received funding for several years, including 14 workforce programs and one higher education program. The state and local workforce investment boards (WIB) were also streamlined in an effort to reduce overall size and increase efficiency. While the business majority was maintained as in current law, unfortunately a CTE representative is no longer a required member of the state board (although is still an optional member). On the local WIBs, required higher education representation was eliminated under the separate Senate and House bills, but has been reinstated under the WIOA deal.

The WIOA deal also worked to address concerns ACTE had on changes to one-stop center infrastructure funding, which would have negatively impacted Perkins funding. While the deal maintains the alternative funding mechanism from S. 1356, local WIBs are now directed to attempt a voluntary agreement, as done under current law, before the new funding mechanism goes into effect. The partner contribution is still limited to 1.5% of total grant funds available, and must come from administrative expenses. Additionally several alterations were made to the mechanism itself:

• One-stop partner contributions are based on proportionate use of the one-stop system.
• Statutory requirements of partner programs must be considered when determining contribution amount.
• If state statute places authority of partner program funding outside of the governor’s office, then the determination of contribution amount is made by the eligible entity or official with that authority.
• Only local areas without a voluntary agreement are affected by the mechanism.

Because the deal between the House and Senate was reached before a WIA reauthorization bill has made it through the full Senate in this Congress, the process toward reauthorization will be a little unusual, but negotiators hope that it will move swiftly following next week’s recess. To stay up to date on the latest WIA movement check out the CTE Policy Watch Blog.

Business and Industry Groups Support Perkins Reauthorization

On May 21, more than 200 business, industry, political and trade organizations, along with education groups like ACTE, published a letter to demonstrate their support for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. Funding included in the Perkins Act constitutes the most important piece of federal support for America’s CTE programs by providing schools with the resources necessary to keep our economy strong and workforce competitive. 

The letter emphasized three key elements that should be priorities in reauthorization:

• aligning CTE programs to the needs of the labor market
• supporting collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions and employers
• increasing student participation in experiential learning opportunities and promoting the use of industry-recognized credentials 

ACTE strives to educate leaders both on and off Capitol Hill about career and technical education’s (CTE) crucial role in our education system and workforce development, and fostering support among a diverse group of stakeholders for Perkins’ reauthorization is a major component of our efforts. 

The principles expressed in the letter are key elements of CTE programs and existing Perkins law, and are consistent with ACTE’s principles for reauthorization of the Perkins Act—particularly the focus on program quality elements. Our principles include: 

1. Redefine the federal role in CTE.
2. Target expenditures.
3. Define program quality elements.
4. Ensure relevant and consistent data.
5. Offer incentives for innovation.
6. Provide the infrastructure to support the system.

In addition, ACTE has developed specific Perkins policy priorities to guide reauthorization efforts. To learn more about the Perkins Act, visit ACTE’s Policy and Advocacy page here.

Programs of Study, CTE Linked to Graduation, Academic Achievement

The National Research Center for CTE has concluded a four-year longitudinal field study of students enrolled in and completing programs of study/career pathways at either specialized high schools that offer wall-to-wall programs of study or career academies within comprehensive high schools.

Program of study (POS) enrollment was associated with higher student graduation rates in one of the 3 districts studied, and earning CTE credits was associated with graduation in all 3 districts. POS enrollment was also linked with measures of academic attainment:

• In West District, POS completers were more likely to have a higher overall GPA and a higher GPA in their CTE courses, as well as to earn more STEM credits, than the rest of the sample. POS completers also had higher GPAs than CTE concentrators who did not complete a POS.
• In East District, each additional CTE credit earned corresponded to a .15 unit improvement in GPA, and POS completers were much more likely to have earned AP credits than the rest of the sample.
• In South District, POS students had better GPAs but were less likely to earn STEM or AP credits than non-POS students. The researchers suggest that the POS students may have spent more time on POS-related activities such as internships than in advanced academic classes.

Across all three sites, both POS completers and comparison students planned to continue onto postsecondary education. POS students were more likely to report that they would continue to study a field related to their high school pathway.

These findings indicate that programs of study are helping CTE educators realize goals for student academic achievement, high school graduation and transition to postsecondary education.

New Education and Workforce Development Grants

Last week, two new grants were announced that may provide opportunities for CTE programs. First, the Department of Labor issued a new solicitation on May 14 for "Round 2" of the Workforce Innovation Fund. A total of $53 million will be awarded through these grants, which are "designed to strengthen public job training programs by: delivering employment and training services more efficiently and effectively, facilitating greater cooperation across workforce programs and funding streams, scaling best practices, and implementing rigorous evaluation techniques."

While education institutions are not eligible applicants, they may participate in the grants in partnership with state workforce agencies or local workforce investment boards. Many of the suggested project activities also relate to CTE, such as:

• integrating adult basic education and occupational skills training
• implementing comprehensive career pathway approaches
• piloting or scaling innovative models to support and strengthen partnerships with business at the state and regional level
• partnering with local educational institutions, including community colleges

The grant announcement is available at http://www.grants.gov, and applications are due by June 18, 2014.

The Department of Education released application materials on May 15 for its new "First in the World" program. This new program, funded at $75 million, will award grants to institutions of higher education, individually or in consortium, to test or scale up projects designed to increase the proportion of Americans with a postsecondary credential. Projects must address one of five absolute priorities:

• increasing access and completion for underrepresented, underprepared or low-income students
• increasing community college transfer rates to four-year colleges for underrepresented, underprepared or low-income students
• increasing enrollment and completion of underrepresented, underprepared or low-income students in STEM degree and certificate programs
• reducing time to completion, especially for underrepresented, underprepared or low-income students
• improving college affordability, especially for underrepresented, underprepared or low-income students

Applications for this grant are due June 30, 2014. Two pre-application webinars have been scheduled on May 28 and June 4. Visit this page for more applicant information and to register for the webinars—http://www2.ed.gov/programs/fitw/applicant.html#tips.

CTE: Preparing the IT Workforce

Information technology is at the forefront of innovation and efficiency in the American economy, and CTE is integral to developing the qualified workforce for IT. ACTE's newest Sector Sheet examines CTE's role in developing talent in information technology. It joins our previous Sector Sheets, which examined CTE's role in growing the qualified workforce in health care, advanced manufacturing and energy.

The IT Sector Sheet explores projections for the information technology workforce, which is expected to increase by 18 percent through 2022, compared to 11 percent for all occupations. In addition, information technology is one of the best-paying Career Clusters for those with middle-level skills.

CTE prepares high school, postsecondary and adult students for IT careers through a variety of courses in the Information Technology Career Cluster®, as well as other clusters and pathways; through work-based learning experiences such as internships and job shadowing; and through career and technical student organization activities and competitions. Students also have opportunities to earn stackable certificates and degrees, as well as industry-recognized certifications through such prominent providers as CompTIA, Cisco, Apple, Sun and Microsoft.

We encourage you to share these advocacy tools with business, policymakers, education leaders and the public to illustrate how CTE supports specific industries and prepares students for in-demand careers.

Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth Move Forward

The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and the Corporation for National and Community Service are working to implement the new Performance Partnership pilots program. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014, the federal government may establish up to 10 Performance Partnerships that will allow state, local and tribal entities to pilot new approaches to improving outcomes for disconnected youth through additional flexibility in the use of discretionary funds across multiple federal agencies and programs.

States and localities that elect to participate in these pilots will commit to achieve significant improvements in educational, employment and other key outcomes for disconnected youth in exchange for new flexibility in the use of federal funds. Performance Partnership pilots can involve discretionary funds, including both formula and competitive grant programs, under multiple federal funding streams that serve disconnected youth populations and provide education, training or other social services. The pilots will not receive any new funding, but will be granted greater flexibility to use existing funds, which may include Perkins. Additionally, pilots will also be able to seek waivers of specific program requirements.

Efforts to combine different federal funding streams could provide new opportunities, but may also pose challenges in administration and reporting. Perkins recipients should be attentive to efforts to launch a Performance Partnership pilot in their region to ensure CTE programs are well represented in discussions. The Administration will announce the specific criteria that will be used to select pilots when it issues a solicitation for applications later this year.

Members of Congress Speak Out for CTE

In the past week, a few Members of Congress have spoken out in the House and Senate in support of CTE. These bicameral, bipartisan comments are a positive sign of the growing respect for CTE from policymakers. If your Members of Congress haven’t expressed their support for CTE recently, use the CTE Action Center to encourage them to stand up and be a CTE champion!

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) gave a brief statement on May 8 on the successes of Warren County Career Center in Lebanon, OH. While highlighting local student achievements, Rep. Chabot also called on Congress to support CTE programs across our country in order to strengthen the economy. See his brief comments in this video:

  

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, introduced the Credentialing Improvement for Troop Talent (CREDIT) Act on May 15. In his statement on the new legislation, Sen. Kaine highlighted the need to support all students, including veterans, in accessing all types of postsecondary education equally, including certificate programs.

“I think we value college and community college in a way we do not or have not traditionally valued career and technical education programs. So many of our programs – Pell grants and Stafford loans, GI bill benefits – often can be used more easily for community college or 4-year colleges than they can be used for even the highest quality career and technical programs.

“That is why today I am introducing the Credentialing Improvement for Troop Talent, or CREDIT Act. The legislation will go into that military tuition assistance program and expand the authority of the program so that it can cover credentialing expenses for those military men and women who want to move into career and technical fields. It will give servicemembers the means to pay for credentials while they are still on Active-Duty and before they transition into civilian workforce.”

- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Also speaking on CTE issues recently were Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn Thompson (R-PA), co-chairs of the House Congressional CTE Caucus, who introduced an amendment to support comprehensive career guidance and development opportunities in the bipartisan charter school bill (HR 10).

“This amendment recognizes that career counseling is a critical tool we must promote in order to assure that students are informed and prepared to meet their next educational or career challenge.”

- Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)

“Investments in education are repaid many times over through the creation of a skilled, educated workforce. That investment is made exponentially stronger when we provide young people with career counseling programs that enable them to make smart decisions about their futures.”

- Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI)

Getting Ink - ACTE Hosts CTE Policy Media Briefing

On Thursday, May 15, ACTE organized and hosted a media briefing on the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. The event provided reporters in attendance with foundational information about the Perkins Act and the reauthorization process as a whole, and gave ACTE the opportunity to advocate for our members by raising awareness of Perkins' importance before staff from major publications.

It's no secret that the media impacts public policy and can influence audiences' opinions and perception of issues, so it is crucial that members of the press have an expert understanding of the pieces of legislation that they cover. By hosting this event, we had the opportunity to educate members of the media about the intricacies of the law, and reporters could ask the questions that matter most to their readers so that, as the reauthorization debate heats up, they will be equipped to keep the public objectively informed.

ACTE staff strives to maintain positive relationships with media professionals from across the country and in Washington. To learn more about how you can be a voice for CTE in your community visit ACTE's recently updated "Targeting the Media" page in the Advocacy Toolkit. In addition, be sure to visit ACTE's new "Media Relations" page, and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

ACTE Launches E-Advocate Recognition Program

ACTE has just launched its first-ever e-advocate recognition program to identify and promote members utilizing the CTE Action Center. Beginning on July 1, 2014, the top five e-advocates during each of the following eligibility periods will be recognized on the ACTE website and in ACTE publications.

• Summer recognition: January 1 through June 30
• Winter recognition: July 1 through December 31

No application or nomination is required to be recognized; however, ACTE members must take a minimum of 10 actions advocating for CTE to federal policymakers to qualify for recognition. Of those individuals who have taken the minimum number of qualifying actions, the top five most active will receive recognition. Qualifying actions include sending emails, letters, faxes, participating in petitions and making phone calls through the CTE Action Center on ACTE’s website.

ACTE members taking these and other CTE advocacy actions in their communities may also qualify for ACTE’s Baird-English Advocate of the Year award. The winner of this award is recognized at ACTE’s National Policy Seminar in Washington, DC. Find out if you qualify here.

For more details on the e-advocate recognition program, check out the program’s guidelines. To begin taking actions, please visit the CTE Action Center! 

Hiring is Up for Postsecondary Grads

Employment opportunities are looking up for workers with postsecondary education. A recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, as reported by U.S. News and World Report, found that employers will be hiring 9 percent more college graduates this year than last.

About half of the employers polled said they were planning to increase hiring. They expect to hire 80 percent of their new workforce with bachelor's degrees, 16.2 percent with associate's degrees and 18.5 percent with master's degrees. The majors they will be hiring from include business, engineering, accounting and computer science.

In addition, a survey from CareerBuilder demonstrates that 27 percent of employers have increased their educational requirements in the past five years, and 30 percent are hiring more workers with postsecondary education to fill positions formerly held by high school graduates. This trend is particularly strong in STEM fields.

Eighty-four percent of employers hiring college-educated employees for these positions did report some positive impact, such as higher quality work and increased productivity. The benefits vary based on occupation, with customer service, sales and management occupations helping the bottom line when staffed by more educated workers, but no effect for IT occupations.

What's the reason behind this upskilling? Fifty-eight percent of employers say it's because of unemployment, and 55 percent attribute it to evolving skills needed for the positions. Whatever the reason, these trends point to the importance of pursuing postsecondary education in an in-demand field.