CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Landmark Day for Job Training Programs

Today, President Obama signed into law the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), a bill to overhaul the federal job training system. WIOA, the long overdue reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, was passed by the House and Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support earlier this summer.

Some of positive CTE-related provisions that were incorporated into WIOA include a strong emphasis on career pathways and training programs leading to recognized credentials, as well as the continued representation of education providers on the local Workforce Investment Boards. Additionally, the law allows for direct contracting between education providers and workforce boards for in-demand training programs and eliminates the current "sequence of services" requirement to speed up access to training services for job seekers.

In his remarks at the bill signing ceremony, President Obama lauded the bipartisan efforts of the Members of Congress who spearheaded the passage of WIOA. “This is not a win for Democrats or Republicans, this is a win for American workers,” said Obama.

He also referenced Vice President Biden’s work to review of all federal job training programs, and the subsequent policy recommendations that were included in a report released by the White House today. The president directed his cabinet to begin implementing the recommendations included in the report. “The bill I’m signing today and the actions I am taking today will help connect more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to be-filled jobs,” said Obama.

We will continue to provide updates on the enactment of WIOA through the CTE Policy Watch blog, and will be preparing new resources to help CTE stakeholders get involved in the law’s implementation. 

WIOA Implementation

Key Information:

In the summer of 2014, Republicans and Democrats reached a bipartisan, bicameral deal to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 as P.L. 113-128, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill was signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014.

Efforts to implement WIOA are well underway. The U.S. Departments of Labor and Education have solicited comments and input from a variety of stakeholders related to WIOA implementation, which ACTE and the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium provided a joint response to. The deadline for states to submit their first State Unified or Combined Plans as required under the new law was April 1, 2016, and the Administration will now go about reviewing and approving next steps.

Below are resources, tools and communications that may be helpful in WIOA implementation. This post will be updated with additional materials as they become available, so please check back often!

Official Guidance, Resources and Communications

• The U.S. Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration’s WIOA-related Advisories
• Joint Administration Letter on Building Career Pathways
• Innovation and Opportunity Network Community of Practice
• WIOA 101 Training Webcast Series
• Department of Education Webinar on Perkins IV and WIOA
• WIOA Approved State Plans

ACTE Resources

• Implementing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA): Frequently Asked Questions for the Career Technical Education (CTE) Community
• Aligned by Design: WIOA and Career and Technical Education
• The latest updates can be found on the WIOA section of the CTE Policy Watch blog.

Other Resources and Tools

ACTE has assembled the following resources to assist members and the CTE community in the transition to the new law. Check back soon for additional updates!

• National Skills Coalition Side-By-Side Comparison of the Workforce Innovation Act and WIOA
• Leveraging Community Colleges in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (ECS)

In addition, we invite those interested in learning more about WIOA implementation to visit the following websites.

• United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
• United States Department of Education
• Center for Law and Social Policy
• National Youth Employment Coalition
• National Skills Coalition

Wall Street Journal Highlights Job Training Programs

The Wall Street Journal published an article on Saturday, July 19, about how technical and job training programs are preparing today's professionals for career success in CTE fields. The article outlines how the 21st-century job market offers a breadth of challenging, fulfilling and lucrative career opportunities that provide economic mobility, and dispels the common sentiment that access to the middle class is a thing of the past.

The article includes real-life examples of CTE students that have made the most of their job training opportunities to tap into the full potential of their careers. For example, one student from Texas joined a welding program at a local training center after struggling in school, and found that he not only enjoyed his program, but that it enhanced his academic performance by providing real-world examples that he could use to apply his skills. The student went on to continue his education with an industry-recognized job training program, and is gaining the experience and skills he will need to succeed in his career.

As Congress turns its attention to CTE and workforce training initiatives, it's important that the public has a strong understanding of and support for the invaluable role these programs play in powering America's economic competitiveness. ACTE works continuously to carry out a variety of public awareness and outreach activities that highlight CTE's benefits for students and the business community.

Wall Street Journal Highlights Job Training Programs

The Wall Street Journal published an article on Saturday, July 19, about how technical and job training programs are preparing today's professionals for career success in CTE fields. The article outlines how the 21st-century job market offers a breadth of challenging, fulfilling and lucrative career opportunities that provide economic mobility, and dispels the common sentiment that access to the middle class is a thing of the past.

The article includes real-life examples of CTE students that have made the most of their job training opportunities to tap into the full potential of their careers. For example, one student from Texas joined a welding program at a local training center after struggling in school, and found that he not only enjoyed his program, but that it enhanced his academic performance by providing real-world examples that he could use to apply his skills. The student went on to continue his education with an industry-recognized job training program, and is gaining the experience and skills he will need to succeed in his career.

As Congress turns its attention to CTE and workforce training initiatives, it's important that the public has a strong understanding of and support for the invaluable role these programs play in powering America's economic competitiveness. ACTE works continuously to carry out a variety of public awareness and outreach activities that highlight CTE's benefits for students and the business community.

CTE Funding Spotlight: DOL Pathways to Careers Project for Youth with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy has announced the availability of approximately $2,083,300 to fund two cooperative agreements to conduct pilot projects through the Pathways to Careers: Community Colleges for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Demonstration Project. Under this initiative, funding will be awarded through a competitive process to two eligible institutions to research, develop, test and evaluate innovative models for providing education and career development services to youth and young adults with disabilities. Funding priorities for the Pathways to Careers Demonstration Project include improving access to training, education, transition services, and integrated and competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

To be considered for the grant, applicants must be institutions of higher education (as defined by section 102 of the Higher Education Act), including community and technical colleges, as well as other postsecondary CTE institutions. Additionally, applicants must be recipients of funding through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program. Successful grantees will be required to plan, implement, and evaluate outcomes of their demonstration programs. Deadline for applications is August 11, 2014. The full grant announcement and application package are available on grants.gov.

Digging Into Non-degree Credential Attainment

The National Center for Education Statistics has added new tables to its CTE Statistics hub on adult attainment of industry certifications and licenses, by level of educational attainment and field of study. These tables illustrates the different patterns in non-degree credential attainment for U.S. adults with varying levels of education in particular fields of study, particularly in health care, education and trades. They were developed from recent Census Bureau research about the millions of U.S. adults who hold a non-degree credential. Check them out at http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ctes/tables/index.asp?LEVEL=ADULT.

ROI Equal for Associate and Bachelor's Degrees

Researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York analyzed more than 40 years of data to determine that the return on investment (ROI) for both associate and bachelor's degrees has been about 15 percent for the past decade.

Because community college tuition rates are so low, and can be subsidized through student aid and tax benefits, students often pay little or nothing to attend. Therefore the cost for getting an associate degree really amounts to the opportunity costs of forgoing wages for those two years--about $46,000--while bachelor's degree opportunity costs are just over twice that. In addition, four-year tuition costs, even with student aid and tax benefits, are higher.

When these costs are weighed against earnings--workers with an associate degree earn at least 20 percent more and bachelor's degree holders earn 75 percent more than high school diploma earners--the result is a return on investment of about 15 percent for both degrees. (However, it should be noted that the researchers used the traditional student trajectory of full-time, one-time college attendance rather than considering students who leave and re-enter the education pipeline or who work and attend school part-time.)

The researchers also note the difference in return on investment for different college majors, with technical fields, such as engineering and computers, health care and business, leading the pack.

House Committee Advance Higher Education Bills

On Thursday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee held a markup to debate and amend three bills as part of the effort to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. All three prices of legislation were approved with bipartisan support from the committee. The Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act, H.R. 3136, Strengthening Transparency in Higher Education Act, H.R. 4983 and Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act, H.R. 4984, are now able to advance to the House floor, though no announcement has yet been made on further consideration by the full chamber. As we previously reported, these bills were promoted as needed reforms to increase intuitional transparency for students, reduce the cost of higher education and expand opportunities for the use of competency-based education models.

“Today we made important progress in our effort to strengthen the nation’s higher education system,” said Chairman John Kline (R-MN). “These bipartisan proposals will make a difference in the lives of students and families. I look forward to House consideration of these proposals and the work that lies ahead.”

While Republicans and Democrats displayed broad support of the goals the legislation, the committee Democrats did offer amendments to expand reporting requirements for institutions, allow for refinancing of older student loans and strengthen the rules for the use of veterans’ education benefits at for-profit institutions, none of which were adopted. Ranking Member George Miller (D-CA) expressed his disappointment for the lack of Democratic priorities in the bills. “This country is facing a student loan crisis, and these bills, unfortunately, fail to address the needs of students and families already facing a mountain of student debt,” said Rep. Miller. “We must move quickly and decisively to make college more accessible and affordable, to increase oversight and quality assurance of colleges and loan servicers, and to promote new and innovative practices that can reduce student loan debt. And this can only happen through a full-scale rewrite of the Higher Education Act.”

CTE Prepares the Agriculture and Natural Resources Workforce

Learn how CTE is developing the qualified workforce in agriculture, food and natural resources with our newest Sector Sheet.

CTE: The Key to Economic Development in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources explores several sub-fields in this sector that are expected to grow by impressive margins through 2018. For instance, jobs in forestry and conservation are projected to increase by up to 13 percent, while career opportunities in veterinary medicine are expected to grow by 20 percent and environmental engineering and technician occupations by a remarkable 30 percent. In addition, efforts to increase and improve the food supply through higher yields and food safety standards will lead to greater opportunities for animal scientists and for food scientists and technologists. Clearly, this sector is not just about cultivating the land--research and development; advanced technologies; and agribusiness management, marketing and sales have brought agriculture, food and natural resources into the 21st century.

CTE prepares high school, postsecondary and adult students for careers in this sector through Career Clusters, pathways and courses in agriculture, food and natural resources; STEM; business management and administration; and marketing and sales. In addition, CTE students benefit from work-based learning experiences, such as internships at CASE IH, a leading agricultural equipment firm, which has an intern-to-hire ratio of 56 percent; stackable certificates, industry-recognized certifications and degrees; and career and technical student organization enrichment experiences, such as the National FFA Organization's Agriscience Fair.

You can expect more Sector Sheets this summer and fall that address how CTE supports critical industry sectors that define our nation's economy. We encourage you to share these advocacy tools with business, policymakers, education leaders and the public to illustrate how CTE develops the workforce for specific industries and prepares students for in-demand careers.

Sens. Kaine and Portman Promote CTE Bill on Senate Floor

On Thursday, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate CTE Caucus, took to the Senate floor to promote the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act. As we previously reported, the legislation builds on some of the successful components of the Perkins Act by incorporating a more rigorous definition for programs of study, as well as an annual needs assessment of program quality elements.

ACTE supports the goals of the Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act, and applauds Sens. Kaine and Portman for their continued leadership on CTE issues in Congress. "These senators have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the CTE community, and we are fortunate to have them as partners on Capitol Hill,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. 

In his speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Kaine discussed the diversity of the CTE system and the wide range of opportunities that CTE provides for students. He also talked about the recent bipartisan support for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and urged the same cooperation in reauthorizing the Perkins Act. “It is essential for the U.S. to invest in creating a world-class system of education across the spectrum to ensure we have the technically skilled and well-trained workforce we need,” said Sen. Kaine. “We’ve got to make policy changes to our education programs and match what we did in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization to prepare our students for a 21^st century workforce. I very much hope that the Senate moves forward on the Carl D. Perkins Act this year and I’m honored to have Senator Portman as the cosponsor of this legislation.”

Sen. Portman highlighted the importance of addressing the skills gap and the need to develop a qualified workforce to support America’s economic competitiveness. “In today’s competitive job market, far too many Americans are finding that they lack the skills they need to get a good paying job,” said Sen. Portman. “This legislation is a step in the right direction toward helping those Americans seeking work to acquire the skills they need to connect with a job.” He also discussed his recent trip to the Live Oaks campus of Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development in Milford, OH, where he hosted a roundtable on CTE with students, employers, educators and community partners.