On October 25, the House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs held the hearing titled, “The Power of Apprenticeships: Faster, Better Paths to Prosperous Jobs and Less Waste in Higher Education.” This hearing discussed ways to draw more youth into exploring career options through CTE, apprenticeships and other work-based learning models.
Those testifying were:
- Paul Winfree, President and CEO of the Economic Policy Innovation Center
- Erin Davis Valdez, Policy Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
- Casey Sacks, President of Bridge Valley Community and Technical College (and former Deputy Assistant Secretary at OCTAE)
- Tony Ewing, President of Advanced Fixtures, Inc.
- Apryle Gladney, Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources at Washington University in St. Louis
Sacks testified that one of the key strengths of community colleges is their ability to create tailored educational pathways for students. These pathways are designed in close collaboration with local industries, ensuring that the curriculum remains current and relevant. Sacks also noted the push among many community colleges and other workforce advocates to expand Pell Grant eligibility to cover short-term workforce education programs. And while she stated that the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) already provides vouchers known as individual training accounts (ITAs) that would cover those programs, she emphasized how challenging those ITAs are to use. “ITAs pay for what essentially short-term Pell would be, but it’s a lot more burdensome,” she said.
On apprenticeships, Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) asked Sacks how states could remodel their funding structures to better accommodate pre-apprenticeships. She stated that WIOA state plans are grounded in federal compliance when they should be focused on the needs of local communities and employers.
A recording of the hearing can be found here.
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