On April 26, the House Committee on Small Business’s Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development held a hearing titled “Help Wanted: Exploring How Alternative Paths to Student Debt Can Help to Strengthen Small Business,” featuring workforce development advocates that discussed a variety of career opportunities for students, , and how CTE can help provide these opportunities.
Subcommittee Chairman Marc Molinaro (R-NY) opened the hearing with a reminder of the value of CTE. “In addition to being shorter and less expensive than a traditional four-year degree, CTE represents a complete range of career fields across the entire economy, and is driven by the needs and demands of employers, said Chairman Molinaro. “Preparing students with the technical skills needed to obtain high-paying, in-demand jobs will prove to be crucial to bridging our nation’s skills and workforce gap.”
Subcommittee Ranking Member Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) called attention to the significant workforce needs created by new federal investments. “It is estimated that in 2023 alone, the construction industry will have to recruit 546,000 workers on top of its regular pace of hiring – just to keep up with demand. As we implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over the next decade, the demand for workers will continue to grow,” said Ranking Member McGarvey. “Whether we are talking about apprenticeships, CTE or any other workforce development initiative, it is imperative that we look for ways to incentivize their use and make them more attractive to new demographics of workers.”
Meloni Raney, President and CEO of TEXO, which aims to unify, advocate and advance the construction industry in North and East Texas said in response to Chairman Molinaro that "There's a perception issue with construction.” TEXO is working to change these perceptions by providing salary ranges for construction trades jobs and offering examples to students that construction is an inclusive career field. Raney also emphasized the importance of industry partnerships and Perkins funding.
“CTE programs are expensive to administer and fund, with cost-intensive classrooms and equipment, and quality CTE instructors in short supply. This is especially true in construction where there is a shortage of quality instructors, as they are often recruited to work in the private sector at higher salary levels than school districts can provide. The modest funding increases for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in recent years is a good start, as it’s the primary source of federal support for CTE programs.”
“If we’re active in the schools and we build relationships with these students for four years, they are coming into our industry,” said Raney. “We have a school that sends us about 25 welders every single year that graduate and they come into our industry. But that is a very specific school that we targeted and that we are in partnership with for four years to get those graduates. So, we are seeing glimmers. What we have to do is get a scalable approach.”
Additionally, other witnesses spoke of the challenges of finding qualified workers to fill positions in vital industries in their states, labor regulations and the immense benefits of apprenticeship in the construction trades.
You can watch the full hearing here.
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