On February 8, the newly renamed House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing focused on U.S. education reform. Dr. Monty Sullivan of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, a key witness in the hearing, provided testimony focused on the need for more opportunity in postsecondary CTE, including the expansion of the Pell Grant to cover short-term workforce credentialing programs and the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Two other witnesses, Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Scott Pulsipher of Western Governors University, also emphasized the importance of better alignment between workforce and higher education, the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities, and ensuring career readiness in in college. The witnesses fielded several questions from Members of both parties regarding their experiences related to workforce development, adult education, work-based learning, the growing skills gap and low teacher pay.
On February 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee also held a hearing outlining its priorities for the 118th Congress. Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) outlined his key focuses, which included boosting low teacher pay, increased funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), apprenticeship programs for skilled trades, and navigating the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce. Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA) called attention to the need for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and WIOA and the high cost of childcare and postsecondary education.
Given early committee activity often strikes the tone for the remainder of the year, the committees’ focus on issues related to CTE is promising.
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