Congress remained in recess this week, but Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) revealed that after recess concludes, he expects lawmakers to move forward with a short-term continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government from shutting down at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, providing Congress with additional time to complete FY24 appropriations bills. Even this CR is expected to be very contentious though, and as the appropriations process unfolds we will need your support in urging your lawmakers to support the highest possible funding levels for Perkins and additional education and workforce programs. In other items, disaster response to Hawaii, planning for the Farm Bill and discussions about foreign aid and national security were also in the headlines this week. With Congress in recess, most of this week’s specific news comes from the Administration:
- DOJ and ED Release Resources to Advance Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education: The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (ED) have released two resources to help postsecondary institutions understand the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action decision and continue to advance diversity and opportunity in higher education.
- Department of Labor Announces Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants: DOL has announced the availability of $65 million in funding to increase community colleges’ ability to provide equitable access to training to meet employers’ and workers’ skill development needs for in-demand industries.
- Application Materials Officially Posted for Career-Connected Learning Proposals: On August 14, ED’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) officially released the notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2023 for the Perkins Innovation and Modernization (PIM) Grant Program for Career-Connected High Schools. The link to the Federal Register notice is available here. The application deadline is October 13, 2023.
- Third OCTAE Unlocking Pathways Summit Held in Madison, Wisconsin: On Thursday, August 17, the Department of Education (ED) hosted the third Unlocking Pathways Summit series in Madison, Wisconsin, with a visit to Madison Area Technical College to promote state partnerships between school, industry and community organizations in support of career-connected learning. This visit, joined by Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten, Under Secretary James Kvaal and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Unlocking Career Success ACTE Chief Policy, Research and Content Officer Alisha Hyslop represented ACTE at the summit.
- OCTAE Announces Career Z Challenge Winners: 81 applicants were selected as winners in the first phase of the Department of Education’s Career Z Challenge to expand work-based learning opportunities. These semi-finalists will now participate in a community of practice and receive technical assistance during this school year, as well as have the opportunity to earn $10,000 prizes for this phase of the competition. Up to 10 finalists will then be chosen as finalists for the next phase of the competition.
- Department of Education Student Loan Relief: ED has announced that automatic discharges will begin for additional borrowers who qualify for $39 billion in student loan relief as a result of fixes to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans.
- Department of Labor Launches Apprentice Trailblazer Initiative: The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the Apprentice Trailblazer initiative, which will create a national network of apprentices and apprenticeship graduates whose individual stories may inspire career seekers interested in becoming apprentices. The first cohort will be open for youth apprentices ages 16-24 or recent youth apprenticeship graduates along with their registered apprenticeship sponsors. Apply by September 30, 2023.
- Department of Labor Announces Funding to Help Youth, Young Adults with Disabilities: DOL has announced the availability of more than $69 million in funding to support the development of innovative strategies that will help youth and young adults with disabilities transition to the workforce successfully.
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