CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

Data Driven: Work-based Learning Benefits

Work-based learning helps students apply and extend classroom learning, gain motivation and understanding, explore careers and develop critical understanding of the work environment.[i]

Quality work-based learning helps students develop skills needed for education and career success.

Through work-based learning, students can gain a variety of skills that positively impact their education in the classroom and set them on a path to their futures. For instance, research points to higher postsecondary GPAs earned by students who participated in work-based experiences in high school. Data has also demonstrated better employment outcomes for students who participate in workplace learning

There are a variety of work-based learning experiences that students can participate in, ranging from tours and job shadowing to internships and apprenticeships. And luckily, these experiences are not as difficult to develop and manage as some employers think, according to a recent brief from the Pathways to Prosperity Network.

When sharing the above information with business leaders, the media and policymakers, highlight how work-based learning has helped students and employers in your area.

You can find more research and data about CTE with ACTE Fact Sheets.

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[i] Alfeld et al., Work-Based Learning Opportunities for High School Students, FHI 360 and the National Research Center for CTE, 2013.

Department Announces New Round of Performance Partnership Pilots

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced the second round of the of the Performance Pilot Partnership (P3) program. P3 enables pilot sites to test innovative strategies to achieve significant improvements in educational and employment outcomes for disconnected youth. A joint effort among seven federal agencies, P3 allows these agencies to enter into partnership agreements with states, local or tribal governments that provide for additional flexibility in using discretionary funds across multiple federal programs. Interested applicants can submit a notice of intent to apply by May 26, with applications due on June 27. Federal agency representatives will host an informational webinar on May 9, and the full notice is now available online.

Final Round of i3 Grants Announced

The U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the latest and final round of the Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition. This 2016 i3 competition will provide a total of $103 million to partnerships of schools districts and nonprofit organizations to develop and implement innovative educational strategies. The announcement included new funding priorities and a pre-application for the competition’s “development” grant category, which supports promising proposals. This year's project funding priorities include promoting diversity, implementing college- and career-ready standards and assessments, improving school climate, improving students' mastery of non-cognitive skills and behaviors, and serving rural communities. Pre-applications for the development grant competition must be submitted by May 25.

Additionally, the department will begin competitions for the i3 “validation” and “scale-up” grant categories later this spring. More information on the i3 program is available on the department’s website.

White House Announces $100 Million for Job Training Partnerships

On Monday, April 25, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, announced the White House's new investment of $100 million to power the America's Promise Job-Driven Training grants (America's Promise Grants). This new competitive grant program will provide funds to create and expand partnerships between employers and community colleges or other community-based job training organizations, in hopes of providing more unemployed or underemployed Americans tuition-free education that will prepare them for high-skill, high-demand careers. The initiative is slated to begin this summer, and will be administered by the U.S. Department of Labor using funds from the H-1B visa program.

The grants, according the White House's press release on the initiative, are intended to assist employers and job training programs to create work-based learning, internship and paid work experience programs. They will be available to begin new partnerships as well as to bring existing ones to greater scale.

This new program joins several others in the White House's portfolio on "upskilling," its effort to prepare more low-skilled or underemployed individuals for career success, including efforts around registered apprenticeship and higher education affordability. The America's Promise Grant program is an extension of the America's College Promise initiative that President Obama announced during his 2015 State of the Union address (often referred to as free community college), which has spurred more than $70 million in new investments to cover the cost of tuition for students through public private partnerships.

ACTE will monitor and share additional details on the program as they become available, including the grant’s application timeline and process.

DOL Launches Investment in ApprenticeshipUSA Program

Late last year, the FY 2016 federal appropriations bill provided $90 million to expand apprenticeship programs through the ApprenticeshipUSA program. The Department of Labor is working to implement this new investment, and last week announced its initial plans for investing in state apprenticeship strategies. Through this new announcement, $9.5 million is being made available for AprenticeshipUSA State Accelerator Grants, which can be used by states to “develop strategic plans and build partnerships for apprenticeship expansion and diversification.”

A range of activities can be supported, including the following (summarized by our partners at National Skills Coalition):

• costs for staff, contractor, or subject matter expert support for the development of state apprenticeship strategies and partner engagement activities
• outreach and technical assistance activities that support improved employer engagement and services; increased opportunities for women, communities of color, and other underrepresented populations; or engaging parents, educators, and other stakeholders in development of the state’s vision and strategy for apprenticeship
• analysis and asset mapping activities that allow states to identify sectoral opportunities for apprenticeship expansion, and develop strategies for integrating workforce, education, and other resources to support state apprenticeship strategies
• development and dissemination of reports, data tools, and other resources that support the development of apprenticeship opportunities
• enhancing data collection capabilities relating to apprenticeship
• meetings and travel costs

Up to $250,000 will be available per state for a two-year time period. Governors are instructed to identify the appropriate state agency for application, and those applications from states are due on May 15, with awards expected to be made later that month. Later this year, an additional $50 million State Expansion Grants Competition will be announced to help states scale-up their efforts to expand apprenticeship. 

For more information, including investment timelines and future activities under the ApprenticeshipUSA initiative, please visit http://www.dol.gov/apprenticeship.

ESSA Negotiators Reach Agreement on Testing, No Deal on Funding

This week in Washington, D.C., a panel of negotiators working to develop rules to govern certain provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) met for the final time. The negotiators, including teachers, administrators, parents and other education stakeholders, were tasked with regulating on issues affecting student assessments and the “supplement, not supplant” funding requirement—a provision intended to ensure that federal dollars are not used to replace state and local funding—in the new ESSA law. While they were able to come to an agreement on the testing and assessment issues, the more controversial supplement, not supplant proposal put forward by the U.S. Department of Education was rejected by the negotiators, and no agreement was ultimately reached. It will now be left to the department to regulate the issue through its normal rulemaking process. For more on ESSA implementation, the group Whiteboard Advisors has put together a 2016-2017 implementation timeline, available here. You can also check back to the CTE Policy Watch Blog for all the latest ESSA updates.

POLITICO Reports on Perkins Reauthorization

Washington, D.C-based political newspaper POLITICO published a story Friday morning on efforts in Congress to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, which featured commentary from policymakers and education advocates, including ACTE’s own Director of Public Policy Alisha Hyslop. The story outlined the bipartisan support Perkins has received over the years and the growing sentiment on Capitol Hill that now may be the time to reauthorize the program.

Hyslop noted that the next Perkins Act will need to meet the needs of small districts, including the particular needs of rural areas. ACTE has been working with policymakers on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to ensure that members’ priorities are reflected in the reauthorization.

Perkins reauthorization has been increasingly on lawmaker’s minds following the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act in December. Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Bob Casey (D-PA) are working on a draft reauthorization bill, and work is underway in the House.

To learn more about ACTE’s Perkins reauthorization priorities, click here.

Industry Credentials Lead to Increased Earnings

Almost 18 percent of Americans have an active industry certification or license, according to 2015 data from the Census Bureau.

Highlights:

• The majority of professional credentials earned are licenses rather than certifications.
• Workers in the fields of health care, law and education are more likely to hold a license or certification. In addition, certifications are concentrated in computer and mathematics occupations.
• Median earnings for certification/license holders are 34 percent higher, in part because those with higher levels of education are more likely to attain these professional credentials.
• However, certifications and licenses don’t just benefit those with more education: Adults with less than a high school diploma who hold certifications or licenses are more than twice as likely to be employed as their peers without these credentials.

Government surveys have just begun gathering data on Americans who hold industry credentials, which are an increasingly important part of achieving success in the workforce.

New York Times Op/Ed Spotlights CTE’s Promise, Challenges

The New York Times published an op/ed piece last week to examine the fantastic opportunities offered by CTE programs, as well as the challenges they face. In the op/ed, Katherine S. Newman and Hella Winston, authors of “Reskilling America: Learning to Labor in the 21st Century,” detail the need for greater emphasis on CTE to prepare more students for promising careers in growing industries, and identify strategies for building the CTE enterprise moving forward.

Newman and Winston’s article brings readers to Pickens County Career and Technology Center in Liberty, South Carolina, a secondary school that offers high-quality CTE in a wide variety of fields. Students there study manufacturing with high-tech equipment or prepare fine meals in the school’s commercial kitchen, and administrators partner with local employers to guide program development. These programs, according to school officials, prepare some 75 percent of students for postsecondary education after high school, and the rest to pursue careers with their newly earned industry-recognized certifications.

However, the authors are careful to note that the outlook for some programs has not been so sunny. Funding cuts have undermined the programs at the once high-performing Automotive High School in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, resulting in the loss of industry partners and declines in enrollment. While the professionals working there remain committed to preparing their students for college- and career- success, they face enormous challenges due to lack of investment and the lingering “voc-ed” stigma.

Fortunately, the authors note, there are clear opportunities to help these students and programs reach their potential. They point to the need for intensive professional development opportunities for CTE educators, as well as more effective pathways to the classroom for industry professionals looking to become teachers. Furthermore, they note that we must continue to push our elected officials to support CTE at all levels to build a thriving economy and strengthen opportunity for all.

U.S. Postsecondary Education Attainment Rate Rises Slightly

The Lumina Foundation reports in its recently released “A Stronger Nation” that a total of 45.3 percent of working-age Americans held a postsecondary credential in 2014. Of those, 40.4 percent have a two- or four-year degree, and 4.9 percent have earned postsecondary certificates. The total number of individuals with postsecondary degrees is up slightly from 40 percent in 2013, and this year is the first year that the number of adults with certificates has been reported. The report also includes a breakdown of the numbers by demographic characteristics and geographically by state and major metropolitan areas.

The Lumina Foundation has been focused in recent years on raising postsecondary attainment rates. Their national “Goal 2025” is for 60 percent of adults to hold a postsecondary credential by the year 2025. While this year’s numbers show positive growth, they are still a long way from achieving the goals set by Lumina and endorsed by many other groups and policymakers. “The secret to individual and societal success is talent—the knowledge, skills, and abilities of our citizens—but right now, our nation lacks sufficient talent to meet the demands of the global job market,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. 

A related report from Lumina and Gallup shows that despite the slow growth in postsecondary attainment, Americans strongly believe in the importance of postsecondary education. The 2015 Gallup-Lumina Foundation Study of the American Public's Opinion on Higher Education found that 70 percent of adults said it was “very important” to get a degree or professional certificate beyond high school. Seventy percent also responded that it would be even more important in the future to have a postsecondary credential.