This week, the House and Senate were relatively quiet as both are on recess, expected to return next week. When they return, House members are likely going to vote on a new chair of the Appropriations Committee, just as talks on the budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 take form. The Administration has been busy this week, with the Department of Labor announcing several new funding opportunities. Read on for more details!

• U.S. Departments of Education and Labor Continue Biden-Harris Administration’s Push for Better Pay and High-Quality Pathways into Education : The Depts. of Education and Labor announced a set of Good Jobs Principles for Education as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Good Jobs Initiatives, along with other efforts to recruit and retain teachers. 
• OCTAE Releases Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) on Advancing Gender Equity in CTE: The Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) released a Dear Colleague Letter on recent progress around gender equity within CTE programs and areas of success. 
• U.S. Department of Labor Announces $49.2m in Available Funding to Support Career Training and Connect Rural Workers with Good Jobs: The Dept. Of Labor announced over $49 million available under the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative to provide career training and supportive services to workers in rural communities. 
• U.S. Department of Labor to Award Over $67 million to Help Youth, Young Adults with Disabilities Join the Workforce:  Dept. of Labor announced funding for the first of four, five-year cooperative agreements aimed at developing strategies to assist youth and young adults with disabilities in successfully transitioning to the workforce.  
• Reps. Owens, Wilson to Hold Hearing on Ramifications of New FAFSA Program: The Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development will hold a hearing, “FAFSA Fail: Examining the Impact on Students, Families and Schools” on April 10. Visit the Committee’s website to view the hearing.  
• House Committee Leaders Applaud Bipartisan Bills to Align Education Opportunities with Workforce Needs: Chairwoman Foxx and Ranking Member Scott of the House Education and Workforce Committee attended a bipartisan panel discussion “Building America’s Every-Ready Workforce” and talked about legislation such as the “Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act” and “A Stronger Workforce for America Act,” which is a reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that could be voted on by the full House as early as next week.  
• Ranking Member Cassidy Rebukes Biden’s Proposed Apprenticeship Rule: Ranking Member Cassidy of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, rebuked the Dept. of Labor’s proposed apprenticeship regulations. 

The Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education has released a letter designed to share recent progress around gender equity within CTE programs and highlight areas of success. The Perkins Act continues to place a priority on encouraging students to pursue programs that lead to careers that are non-traditional for their gender, making this a critical issue for CTE leaders as well as the economy, as many fields are struggling with staffing shortages due to a lack of employment interest and retention among one gender.  

The first part of the memo includes a review of historical data trends around gaps in CTE and workforce participation by gender. Key insights included:  

• Between 1990 and 2019, there was no major differences in the share of male and female graduates who earned at least one credit in CTE subject areas such as information technology, construction and architecture, all non-traditional occupations for women.  

• In 2021-22, there was more than 2.8 million CTE high school concentrators across the nation, 46.7% of which were female.  

• Between 1990 and 2019, gaps narrowed between male and female participation in architecture and construction; manufacturing; and transportation, distribution and logistics, but largely because male participation declined. The gap also narrowed in human services, although female continue to have stronger participation.  

• Females made progress in closing the participation gap with males in agriculture, food and natural resources between 1990 and 2019, but the gap widened in IT, continued to be large in engineering and technology, and a new gap emerged in business and marketing.  

• During the 1990–2019 timeframe, a gap emerged in male-female participation in health sciences, with females participating at higher rates.  

• In STEM Occupations requiring less than a baccalaureate degree, women comprised only 25% of the workforce in 2021, highlighting the need for more progress in secondary level training efforts. 

The memo then highlighted results from several states that have made progress closing gaps in participation by gender in some fields. Profiles are included of Arkansas’ efforts to expand female participation in computer science, Washington D.C.’s partnership with a national organization to evaluate and take action on male-female participation gaps in STEM and architecture and construction fields and Kansas’ efforts to increase the number of male concentrators in health science pathways to address critical shortages of nurses and other health care professionals.  

 The report emphasizes that these efforts represent a considerable initiative by state leaders to go above and beyond the bare minimum requirements of Perkins V for advancing gender equity, and that significant progress is unlikely if efforts are confined to only legal requirements. 

Following the President signing into law the final appropriations packages of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 on March 23, Congress began a two-week recess. Both the House and Senate will return to session the second week of April. When they come back, work will begin on FY 2025 appropriations and other high-priority legislation. Recess is a great time for Members of Congress to visit CTE programs in their districts, which we’re already starting to see. Keep reading for more updates! 

• President Signs FY 2024 Appropriations Act into Law: On Saturday, March 23, the President signed into law the final appropriations package for FY 2024, funding the government through the rest of the FY. This includes the Labor-HHS-Education bill. More information regarding the bill can be found on the CTE Policy Watch Blog. Congress now looks toward FY 2025 appropriations, which are supposed to be completed by September 30, but are already behind schedule.
   
• FAFSA FAQs Updated: In response to a myriad of challenges related to the launch of the “Better FAFSA,” the Department of Education has consolidated resources and posted updated FAQs.
   
• Department of Education Delays Required Reporting Under Gainful Employment Rule: On Friday, Department leaders announced they were delaying reporting requirements under the gainful employment and financial value transparency rule from July 31 to Oct. 1, and issued a “Dear Colleague” letter with more details on required reporting.
   
• Secretary Cardona Discusses Importance of Latino Engagement in Career Pathways and Apprenticeship Programs: Secretary Cardona traveled to Pennsylvania to tour various career and technical education (CTE) and apprenticeship programs and discussed the need for increased career pathways, specifically in regard to their positive impact on the Latino community.
   
• Department of Education Announces Cybersecurity Collaborative: On March 28, the Department announced the launch of the Government Coordinating Council for the Education Facilities Subsector to bring together government and technology resources and leaders to protect schools from cyber threats.
   
• USDA Investments in Education and Workforce Development Programs: USDA has announced a $49,500,000 investment in the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Education and Workforce Development Program, looking to strengthen professional development for K-14 education professionals and education that cultivates youth food and agricultural interest.
   
• House Ed and Workforce Committee Advances Four Bills Pertaining to Higher Ed: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce recently approved four bills to address various issues in higher education and the workforce. The majority and minority parties both released comments on the legislation.  

• Mark Schneider Bids Farewell to Institute of Education Sciences following CTE Research Network Meeting: Mark Schneider, Director of the Institute of Education Services, will be concluding his five-year term shortly. In his farewell blog post, Schneider remarks on the accomplishments of the Institute in supporting CTE, highlighted by the recent CTE Research Network convening held in conjunction with ACTE’s National Policy Seminar. 

Last week, lawmakers wrapped up Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 by passing a package of six appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill.  

This bill provides the Department of Education $79.1 billion in discretionary spending, which is slightly below FY 23 levels. These lower funding levels are largely the result of the bipartisan agreement on spending caps for FY 24 and 25 that was part of the deal to raise the debt limit last year. However, in a big victory, the Perkins Basic State Grant will be funded at $1.44 billion, which is an increase of $10 million above FY23 levels. The bill does decrease the amount of funding available for competitive grants under the Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grants (Section 114(e) of Perkins V).  

With FY 24 bills finally complete, attention can turn to FY 25 bills, which are supposed to be complete by September 30. Earlier in March, President Joe Biden released his proposed budget for FY 25, requesting $82 billion for the Education Department. The request included a $40 million budget increase for Perkins over the FY 23 levels ($30 million above the ultimate FY 24 funding level). Further, the budget proposes $64 million for the continuation and expansion of the department’s Career-Connected High Schools competitive grant program.  

The process will now shift to Congress as lawmakers begin crafting legislation funding the government for FY 25. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will soon begin holding hearings examining the President’s budget and congressional budget priorities, and Secretary Miguel Cardona is expected to testify in the coming months.    

However, the full House Appropriations Committee will work through FY 25 with a new chair, which could impact the process. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) announced last week that she is stepping down as chair of the committee. House Republicans will determine its next chair in the coming weeks. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) immediately announced his candidacy for the chairmanship, and he seems to be the favorite.    

As the FY 25 process gets underway, there will be numerous opportunities for advocacy. Soon, Reps. G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) will be circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter for their colleagues to sign in the House, and a similar letter will be circulated in the Senate. These letters will be calling on appropriators to provide robust funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant. ACTE will send an action alert when the letters are shared so members can call on their members of Congress to provide meaningful funding for CTE. 

ACTE will continue to provide updates on FY 25 appropriations as the year unfolds. If you have any questions, please contact ACTE’s Government Relations Manager, Jimmy Koch (jkoch@acteonline.org).  

Today ACTE is releasing CTE: Developing the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security Workforce, the latest in our revamped series of Sector Sheets describing CTE’s role in growing the workforce for vital industry sectors. The Sector Sheet series is published with support from ACTE’s long-time partner Pearson.

These revised Sector Sheets include job opportunities in each sector and descriptions of how CTE prepares learners for the workforce in each sector, all in a new format featuring more streamlined text and additional graphics to make these advocacy tools even more effective.

This Sector Sheet describes how CTE supports the law, public safety, corrections and security workforce, which employs about 5 million people nationwide. It also shares information on occupations, earnings and credentials that enable individuals to succeed in the emergency medical and fire, legal services and law enforcement sub-sectors. Finally, the Sector Sheet demonstrates the importance of CTE in developing this workforce by describing how CTE prepares learners through courses, industry credentials, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations and more.

As we move forward with the revamped Sector Sheets, both the newer and older Sector Sheets will remain available on the ACTE Sector Sheet webpage for download and use. We encourage you to share these tools with students, families, counselors, policymakers and others to spread the message about CTE and its benefits for learners and the workforce.

Last week, all focus was on the completion of the final package of appropriations bills for FY 24. While Congress didn’t quite meet the deadline of passage by midnight Friday, the bill was passed shortly after and sent to the President over the weekend to avert a government shutdown. This marks the end of a very contentious, and delayed, FY 24 appropriations process, and will allow Congress to pivot to work on FY 25 appropriations bills when they return from their upcoming two-week recess. For more information and a detailed breakdown of events from this week, keep reading! 

• Lawmakers Release FY 24 Education Funding Bill: Lawmakers introduced the final six-bill appropriations package for FY2024, providing the Department of Education $79.1 billion in discretionary spending, slightly below FY 23 levels. The bill was ultimately passed and signed into law as noted above.  
• ACTE’s “CTE Leaders in Action” Reception: On March 19, as part of our annual National Policy Seminar (NPS), ACTE  held a reception on Capitol Hill titled “CTE Leaders in Action.” The event provided NPS attendees and guests the opportunity to engage with and learn about eight Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) and hear from Members of Congress on their involvement with the CTE Caucus, as well as the legislation they are working on to help strengthen and support CTE.   
• Comments Submitted on Proposed Apprenticeship Regulations: The comment deadline on proposed apprenticeship regulations was Monday, March 18, and hundreds of comments were submitted. ACTE joined with Advance CTE to express concern about many of the elements of the proposed regulations.  
• U.S. Department of Labor Grants Overview Webinar: The Department of Labor is hosting a webinar to discuss their programs and funding opportunities available, as well as how to prepare and apply for grants and stay informed as funding opportunities become available. 
• Senate Confirms ETA Assistant Secretary: On March 21, Jose Javier Rodriguez was confirmed by the Senate to lead DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA). His nomination had been significantly delayed, and this marks the first time ETA, which oversees WIOA, will have a confirmed leader during the Biden Administration.  

What We Know About the Impact of CTE: A recently published report by the CTE Research Network explored the causal effects of CTE on student outcomes through a systematic review of literature spanning the past 20 years. The report concluded that CTE has a positive impact on student outcomes such as academic achievement, high school completion, employability skills and college readiness in comparison to those who did not take any CTE courses.

More findings and insights below:

• Students who participate in CTE in high school are more likely to be enrolled in a two-year college or be employed after graduation than their non-CTE counterparts, with no statistically significant impact on four-year college enrollment.
• The literature review found no statistically significant negative impacts of CTE participation.
• Researchers highlighted CTE’s impacts on student achievement in postsecondary education as well as CTE’s effect on discipline, attendance, degree attainment and earnings as current research topics for which evidence is lacking.
• Researchers determined that not enough evidence exists about different CTE delivery models to distinguish impact or effectiveness.

ACTE is a lead in the CTE Research Network.

Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: The American Enterprise Institute has published a report that analyzes how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect jobs, skills and the evolution of work through the automation of a variety of tasks. Experts found that AI could add approximately $2.6-$4.4 trillion annually across the globe through industries such as banking, software, technology and the life sciences, highlighting the importance of adapting educational curricula across the nation to accommodate this technology.

According to the analysis, most studies have found to date that AI’s effect on employment has been minimal. While predictions for the future vary greatly, the expectation of skills that are likely to be impacted by AI has shifted over the years from manual tasks to tasks such as writing.

The following list shares recommendations on how state and federal policies can support workers as they navigate this new technological era:

• Invest in sector-based training programs as a worker-centered approach.
• Support displaced workers through job counseling and relocation and financial support during the retraining, transition and job search processes.
• Authorize worker-owned personal employment training accounts through federal legislation.
• Invest in career guidance and counseling, particularly in areas with high concentrations of low-income students.

Sector-based Training Programs: MDRC recently published a report on sector-based training programs that provides insight into the factors that enable sector-based programs to be successful. Researchers discovered that training providers are struggling to provide proper services to workers, with lack of funding and capacity for data collection and analysis seriously hindering their options for program advancement and improvement.

The following list describes insights and recommendations on sector-based training struggles:

• Providers report frequently suffering from data overload with little to no capacity to digest and interpret data.
• Funding opportunities from third parties often lead to rushed expansion that overextends staff and hinders original program models, structures and ideologies.
• Limited staff capacity hinders development and sustainability of industry partnerships, often leading to insufficient pathways for workers and incorrection perceptions of training programs.
• Interviewees identified personal and professional alumni networks as crucial supports.