CTE has been getting its due on the federal level, as the House moved on Perkins reauthorization. States have also been paying attention to CTE and workforce development in 2016, through a variety of policies:
California: $200 million is set aside for the Strong Workforce Program, which funds community college consortia to expand CTE.
Colorado: The Industry Infrastructure Grant Program will award matching grants to industry associations to define industry competency standards and facilitate work-based learning.
Iowa: A new Future Ready Alliance, including representatives from CTE, industry, apprenticeship programs and a host of others in education, workforce development and human services, will measure progress toward the state’s goal of 70 percent postsecondary completion, with an eye toward maximizing education-workforce alignment.
Louisiana: Legislation mandates a comprehensive review of the state’s postsecondary institutions and how well they are responding to workforce needs.
Mississippi: The state has developed the Mississippi Works Fund to support community colleges as they develop training programs.
Utah: A new $1.5 million fund will support education-business partnerships that lead to stackable credentials to meet regional workforce needs.
Virginia: $1 million in New Economy Workforce Grants are supporting regional partnerships, including 10 community colleges in seven regions, to train incumbent workers. The program provides partial tuition reimbursement to the schools based on student completion and credential attainment. Another bill in the commonwealth requires community colleges to sign agreements with local school districts to provide dual enrollment in career pathways programs.
In addition, Kansas has launched a career planning tool for high-wage, high-demand jobs by county or local area. And the Launch My Career tool is helping individuals find their path in Colorado and Tennessee, and possibly more states in the future. It’s a collaboration of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the American Institutes for Research, Gallup, Inc. and USA Funds.
Many thanks to our colleagues at the National Skills Coalition and the Workforce Data Quality Campaign for their efforts to track education and workforce legislation, which informed this blog post.
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