Congress took recess this week and will return for the next two weeks before their lengthy August recess, which lasts five weeks and ends in early September. While the recess made for a relatively quiet week in Washington, the Department of Labor has announced several new funding opportunities and resources for workforce development opportunities while the Department of Education continues to navigate technology in education. Keep reading for more updates!
- Department of Labor Announces Grants to Help Community Colleges Improve Access to High-Quality Training: The Department of Labor announced the availability of $65 million in funding to support programs that help community colleges scale affordable, high-quality workforce training that meets employers’ and workers’ skill development needs in critical industry sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, semiconductors and biotechnology. Grant applications are due September 24, 2024.
- Department of Labor Announces Funding to Deliver Education, Occupational Skills Training, Job Services to Young People: The Department of Labor announced the availability of $99 million in funding to support YouthBuild programs that deliver pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries including construction, clean energy, healthcare, infrastructure, information technology and hospitality. Grant applications are due September 16, 2024.
- Department of Labor Awards $13.9M to Fund Pilot Programs to Deliver Info-Technology Skills, Training, Job Services to Job Corps Students: The Department of Labor today announced the award of up to $3.9 million in funding to Management and Training Corp. and up to $9.9 million to the Net America Corp. to support demonstration projects that provide information technology training and employment services to students.
- Department of Labor Announces New Resources: The Department of Labor published new resources on WIOA and Youth Apprenticeship.
- Biden Administration Cancels Student Loans for Public Service Workers: The Department of Education announced relief for roughly 35,000 borrowers made through changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which benefits workers such as teachers, nurses and firefighters. Those qualifying for forgiveness have their remaining loan balance eliminated after making 120 qualifying monthly payments.
- Department of Education Resource on Education and Artificial Intelligence: The Department of Education released “Designing for Education with Artificial Intelligence: An Essential Guide for Developers,” a resource for education technology community members as they work to establish safety, security and trust while creating artificial intelligence (AI) products and services for use in education, building on the “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning” report from 2023.
- Title IX Now Blocked in Over 700 More Schools: A recent court ruling barred the Department of Education from enforcing its new Title IX rule at colleges attended by members of two conservative student groups. Hundreds of colleges across the country are affected, weeks before the rule is set to go into effect on August 1. For more information on the new Title IX regulations, check out the CTE Policy Watch Blog.
- Federal Communications Commission Approves Adding Wi-fi Hotspots to E-Rate Program: The Federal Communications Commission approved a rule allowing schools to use federal E-rate funding to pay for Wi-Fi hotspots for students who don’t have adequate access to internet and broadband services at home.
- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Enforces Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act went into effect on July 18, requiring covered employers to provide “reasonable accommodation” to a qualified employee’s or applicant’s known limitations related to, affected by, or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
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