Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos left on a 10-day tour of Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to include school visits, meetings with education stakeholders and the delivery of the keynote address at the International Congress on Vocational and Professional Education and Training.

While in Europe, she planned to visit a variety of educational programs and schools, including several technical education centers and apprenticeship sites. Speaking at the International Congress, she praised the Swiss training and apprenticeship system and highlighted both the depth and breadth of its reach – “The Swiss approach is one from which we can all learn a great deal. It is so interesting that more than two-thirds of current students pursue their education through apprenticeships. Of course apprenticeships include those for welders and carpenters — which, in my country, is more common. But apprenticeships here include many options in every sector of the economy, including health care, finance and law.”

She also highlighted the need to personalize education, and her desire for a wide variety of postsecondary credentials to be valued: “All of these are valid pursuits. Each should be embraced as such. If it’s the right fit for the student, then it’s the right education. And importantly, no stigma should stand in the way of a student’s journey to success."  

Sec. DeVos followed her speech by posting on the Department of Education’s Homeroom blog, where she outlined more of her thoughts on how the United States could learn from the Swiss apprenticeship system. ACTE has an ongoing partnership with the Swiss Embassy to help do just that – you can read more about some of the activities here. You can also read more about Sec. DeVos’s trip in EdWeek, where ACTE was quoted in an article discussing what it would take to bring elements of the European system to the United States.  

Last month, House Republicans passed a bill to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Act (TANF) on a party-line vote. The bill, the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act (JOBS for Success Act), or H.R. 5861, comes as TANF is set to expire at the end of September. TANF is a block grant program to the states, whereby states then use the funds to provide cash assistance, along with employment and training support, to low-income families. The program includes work-requirements for qualifying adults. In addition to actual jobs, work activities can include CTE and some other job training. ACTE has several priorities related to TANF reauthorization to improve the law to better assist TANF recipients in accessing meaningful job training that will improve their economic well-being

The bill makes some positive changes that address most of ACTE's recommendations. Among many reforms, the bill would eliminate the 12-month limit for individuals to count CTE programs as a work activity for the purpose of receiving benefits. This will allow TANF recipients to pursue longer-term credentials, including those that may take 18 or 24 months to complete and are often associated with higher earnings. Additionally, the bill eliminates an existing arbitrary limitation on the percentage of a state's work participation rate that can be met through recipients' education activities. The bill would also establish an outcome-based performance accountability system largely aligned with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This is a step in the right direction, though ACTE would like to see credential attainment included as a metric of success.

Some Democrats and other organizations have acknowledged the bill makes some important reforms, but have criticized it for providing an insufficient level of funding. Indeed, the bill would continue the roughly 20-year trend of flat-funding TANF, which due to inflation, has reduced the program's real value by more than one-third. Similarly, ACTE is concerned that some aspects of the bill would place a greater burden on the workforce development system without allocating adequate funds to accommodate for these changes.

ACTE has endorsed another TANF-related bill that was offered as an amendment to the comprehensive reauthorization bill during the markup but not voted on, the Improving Access to Good Jobs for Parents Act (H.R. 5888). That amendment would have provided $900 million in formula grants to states and provide critical resources to partnerships across the workforce development ecosystem, including community colleges and CTE programs. ACTE believes these funds would strengthen coordination across programs and increase skills and economic opportunities for TANF recipients. We hope to see the idea revisited as the TANF reauthorization process moves forward.

This week, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos appeared before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee to defend President Trump’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget request for education. As we reported in February, the president’s budget proposes to level fund the Perkins Basic State Grant at the FY 2017 enacted level ($1.118 billion). In March, Congress voted to increase Perkins funding by $75 million above the FY 2017 level ($1.192 billion) as part of the current year funding bill.

During the hearing, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, pointed out the disconnect between the Trump Administration’s claim of support for CTE and workforce training, and the department’s budget proposal that would fund Perkins at the lower FY 2017 level. Sec. DeVos argued that a request to flat fund Perkins should be taken as an indication that CTE is a “top priority” for the Administration—noting that the FY 2019 budget plan proposes to eliminate or cut many other education programs. Baldwin called DeVos’ statement “disappointing.”

Indeed, ACTE urges Sec. DeVos to make investing in Perkins a real funding priority by supporting our efforts to increase federal resources for CTE. We recently sent formal requests to both the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees calling on Congress to fund the Perkins Basic State Grant program to $1.3 billion in the forthcoming FY 2019 appropriations bills. Please take a few minutes to help in this effort by contacting your Members of Congress using our CTE Action Center!

Recently, ACTE sent requests to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, which have jurisdiction over federal funding for education and workforce development programs, calling for $1.3 billion for Perkins Basic State Grants in the forthcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 appropriations bills. As we reported, the Perkins state grant program received a $75 million increase ($1.192 billion in total) as part of the FY 2018 omnibus funding measure that passed in March! This was an important victory as the federal investment in Perkins has declined by 13 percent over the past decade—nearly $170 million less in funding for local CTE programs. However, Congress must do more to restore those cuts and ensure that high schools, community colleges and tech centers nationwide have the resources they need to provide high-quality CTE programs for students.

Restoring federal funding for CTE by increasing the Perkins Basic State Grant to $1.3 billion will strengthen the capacity of CTE programs to deliver academically rigorous CTE content, ensure support for special populations, purchase the latest technology and equipment for the classroom, strengthen employer partnerships, provide college and career counseling services, and deliver educator professional development opportunities. Recently, 38 Senators echoed this request in a letter to congressional appropriators, while 170 members of the House of Representatives called for a strong investment in Perkins in FY 2019. Please take a few minutes to help in this effort by contacting your Members of Congress through our CTE Action Center!

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education shared a notice inviting applications for the new Pathways to STEM Apprenticeship Grants. This initiative will award competitive grants to states to support technical assistance, program development and other capacity-building activities that will strengthen the connections between secondary CTE programs and apprenticeship opportunities, and increase the number of students who enter apprenticeships during high school. The expected $3 million in available funding will be provided through Perkins National Programs. In the notice, the department argued that “the United States has made great progress in creating dual enrollment opportunities that enable students to earn college credit while they are still enrolled in high school. However, we have not been as successful in making apprenticeships—another important postsecondary option—accessible to students during high school.”

The Pathways to STEM Apprenticeship program will prioritize funding for apprenticeship initiatives that promote STEM education, with a particular focus on computer science. The department will require that projects be carried out in partnership with at least one employer and one or more postsecondary educational entities, which may include a state higher education agency or a postsecondary institution. It further requires that grantees implement competency-based, rather than time-based, apprenticeships. The deadline for submitting applications is July 17, 2018. The department will be hosting an informational webinar on June 5.

Recently, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees began developing funding bills for the coming Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The 12 annual appropriations bills are designated to specific subcommittees, with funding decisions concerning education and workforce development programs falling under the Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.

Congressional appropriators must first determine the overall spending levels for the 12 funding measures—known as 302(b) allocations. The House would effectively freeze FY 2019 funding for the Labor-HHS-Education bill at the current 302(b) level ($177.1 billion). In the Senate, the Labor-HHS-Education measure would receive a slight $2.2 billion increase over FY 2018 ($179.3 billion). The difference between the two chambers will have to be reconciled before a final appropriations bill can be passed, but federal resources for Perkins and other education programs will come from this pot of funding. Without a significant increase in the 302(b) allocation, it is likely that many programs will be flat funded or even cut from current levels. It is an important time to advocate for increased funding for education and workforce training. Tell your Members of Congress about the importance of Perkins funding by visiting our CTE Action Center.

This week, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos appeared before the House Education and the Workforce Committee to discuss the Administration’s education policy priorities. This is her first appearance before this committee since she assumed the top job at the U.S. Department of Education in 2017. Several members of the committee pressed DeVos on Perkins reauthorization and the department’s priorities for CTE. She highlighted opportunities for students to earn postsecondary credit in high school, business engagement with CTE programs, and promoting apprenticeship programs among those priorities. The committee approved, and the full House of Representatives later passed, a bipartisan Perkins reauthorization bill last year. Though DeVos echoed the committee members who urged the Senate to finally take up Perkins, she made no specific comments about the Administration’s plans for reauthorization.

Higher education policy was another focus of the hearing. Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) noted the House Republican plan for reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, known as the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act, and its proposal to expand Pell Grant eligibility for students enrolled in short-term education and training programs. This idea already has bipartisan support through Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act, which ACTE has endorsed. In addition to HEA reauthorization, DeVos discussed the department’s efforts to rewrite the federal gainful employment regulation. The Administration has engaged in negotiated rulemaking on the issue, and the secretary suggested that a new proposal would be available for public comment in the near future.

The secretary also touched on the topic of apprenticeships and her role on the Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. Earlier this month, the task force released a report that outlined a series of policy recommendations–most of which focused on a controversial framework to provide federal recognition and support for industry-recognized apprenticeship programs. During the hearing, DeVos repeatedly expressed her commitment to expanding “earn and learn” opportunities.

Several members of the committee pressed the secretary on a contentious plan to reorganize the department. Though not specifically mentioned at the hearing, the reorganization plan proposes to consolidate the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) into a new Office of Postsecondary and Lifelong Learning. ACTE opposes the planned consolidation, and we were joined by 24 other national stakeholder groups in sending a letter to DeVos in April expressing our opposition.