With the House and Senate both in session this week, it was still a quiet week for CTE-related measures in Washington. Most of the focus in Congress was on voting rights legislation before adjourning for the week. Both chambers will be in recess the week of January 24, but could return to the debate on the Build Back Better Act when they return. In the meantime, here is the most important news from Washington this week:
- Department of Education Announces Resources to Support Student Needs at Colleges and Universities: The Department of Education has announced more resources for students and postsecondary institutions to help reduce barriers to success address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional $198 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act funds was announced to help support community colleges and other institutions with the greatest needs, while new guidance on how colleges can use these new and existing federal funds to meet students’ basic needs such as housing and food security was released. In addition, guidance on how colleges can use existing data to connect students to other federal benefits was provided. First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary Cardona visited Bergen Community College in New Jersey to spotlight these new resources.
- Federal Agencies Announce Working Group on Telecommunications Workforce: The Departments of Labor and Education, along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced a cross-agency working group that will collaborate to identify current and future needs of the telecommunications industry workforce. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directed the FCC Chair to work in partnership with the Secretary of Labor to establish an interagency working group that will ultimately prepare a report to Congress on its recommendations to address the needs of the telecommunications industry by January 2023.
- House CTE Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) Announces Retirement: Rep. Langevin announced he will not be running for reelection in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District. Langevin has served as co-chair of the House CTE Caucus since 2011.
- ACTE Launches Key Legislation Blog Series: The first in a series of blog posts highlighting key pieces of legislation that will be the focus of ACTE’s 2022 federal advocacy efforts has been posted on the CTE Policy Watch blog. The first blog covers the JOBS Act.
- Secretary Cardona and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) Highlight Connecticut CTE Programs: On January 14, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) visited Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School and Thames River Magnet Elementary School in Groton, Connecticut, to highlight each school’s manufacturing programs. You can read a full recap of the visit on the CTE Policy Watch blog.
- FAA Aviation Careers Task Force Holds Public Meeting: On January 20, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force held a public meeting to discuss expanding CTE pathways in aviation, as well as developing strategies that will lead to more students entering aviation careers. You can watch the full meeting here.
- Department of Labor Launches New Grants Page: Visit https://www.dol.gov/grants to access all available grant funding from the Department of Labor in one convenient location!
- U.S. Presidential CTE Scholar Candidates Announced: The U.S. Department of Education has released the list of candidates submitted by states for the 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Visit https://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/2022/candidates.pdf to see the students nominated from your state!
- Administration Announces "Good Jobs" Initiative: On January 21, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh announced the Good Jobs Initiative to help empower workers and improve job quality. More details can be found on the Department of Labor website and more details on various projects will be forthcoming.
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