Each year, members in both chambers lead “Dear Colleague” letters that are sent to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee in both the House and Senate requesting robust funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant. This year’s letters were led by Reps. G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) in the House as well as Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the Senate. A total of 40 senators and 71 members of the House signed these letters. 

Additionally, ACTE in coordination with Advance CTE recently sent a letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership requesting an $82 million increase to Perkins for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The letter in part states, “adjusted for inflation, current levels of investment for this program are roughly half of the amount of the federal investment made in CTE in 1980. It is imperative that Congress begin to close this $1.3 billion gap in funding for CTE given significant new demand for skilled talent driven, in part, by new investments authorized by Congress in advanced manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and other sectors of our shared economy.”   

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) also laid out his timeline for FY 2025 appropriations bills this week. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill is tentatively scheduled to come before the subcommittee on June 28 and before the full committee on July 10.  He also announced the subcommittee allocations for each bill. The allocation for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education our bill will be $184,564,000. That represents a cut of approximately 11 percent compared to FY 2024, which will make it very difficult for any education or workforce development programs to gain needed increases, and even maintaining funding will be challenging. 

ACTE is closely monitoring developments in the appropriations process, and we will keep you updated so that you can continue to advocate for the highest possible levels of CTE spending within this budget environment. Please let us know if you have any questions! 

On May 14, the Department of Commerce announced a Department Administrative Order (DAO) to establish a workforce policy agenda focused on preparing the workforce with the skills necessary to accelerate the development and deployment of emerging technologies. Historically, the Departments of Education and Labor have been the federal agencies most focused on workforce education, but recent investments, particularly in the CHIPS and Science Act, that are administered by the Department of Commerce, have brought that agency more to the forefront of our work.  

The DAO lays out a three-part approach to meet employers’ needs: 

1. Invest in employer-driven education and training systems.  
2. Foster transformative employer practices.   
3. Produce timely data to help Americans develop and advance. 

The DAO also establishes a Commerce Workforce Council to develop and implement the Department’s workforce policy, programs and initiatives and coordinate with other federal agencies. 

In a statement, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, “The diversity of our workforce is our greatest asset, and to make our country even more competitive, we can’t have any Americans stuck in the margins of our economy. The order I’m announcing today highlights how the Department of Commerce is investing more than $1.6 billion in our workforce and the support services needed to upskill and connect workers with family sustaining jobs in their communities in key industries that will keep the United States at the forefront of our 21st-century economy.” 

This week, Congress held several hearings to review priorities and budget goals for the Departments of Labor and Education, welcoming testimony from both Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. Congress also held two hearings to address occurrences of antisemitism and other instances of discrimination on college campuses. The Administration has continued to work on other long-term projects, including FAFSA, and celebrated the Department of Labor’s first National Youth Apprenticeship Week. 

• Cardona Testifies at Education and Workforce Committee Hearing: Earlier this week, Secretary Cardona testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in a hearing, “Examining the Education Department’s Policies, Priorities, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Financial Audit Failure.” Lawmakers discussed FAFSA and issues of free speech and civil liberties on college campuses. House CTE Caucus co-chair, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, and several other Members also raised questions related to CTE.   
• Su Testifies at Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing: Secretary Su testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations to discuss the President’s FY 2025 budget request as it pertains to the subcommittee. CTE Caucus co-chair Senator Baldwin voiced her support for Registered Apprenticeship programs, and Senator Capito, also on the Senate CTE Caucus, expressed her concern over the proposed regulations on Registered Apprenticeship programs. 
• Bipartisan Committee Leaders in Senate and House Raise Concerns Over Rollout of Next Year’s FAFSA: Bipartisan committee leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives urged the Department of Education to prioritize the timely rollout of the 2025-2026 FAFSA form. This follows a tumultuous FAFSA rollout in December and many difficulties for students and financial aid offices since. 
• Department of Education Announces 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars in CTE: Secretary Cardona announced the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors, 20 of which are students in CTE programs, for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.  
• Department of Education Launches Next Phase of FAFSA Support Strategy: The Department of Education announced additional steps to support students and their families with the Better FAFSA. The Department is launching a multi-million-dollar program as part of the FAFSA Student Support Strategy to help school districts, state, nonprofits and other public and private organizations with efforts to boost FAFSA completion. 
• New Apprenticeship Expansion Resources: The Department of Labor has released new resources on apprenticeship programs, addressing state leadership and policy, development and support of programs, diverse apprentice pipelines and alignment with career pathways and postsecondary education. 
• Department of Education Issues New Guidance on Civil Rights Responsibilities: In light of current events, earlier this week the Department issued a Dear Colleague letter to school leaders containing examples of how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should be applied in schools. The letter contains guidance for schools related to allegations of discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.  

Earlier this week, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in a hearing, “Examining the Education Department’s Policies, Priorities, and FY 2023 Financial Audit Failure.” The hearing primarily discussed recent challenges that students, families and postsecondary institutions have encountered with the Department of Education’s new Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) form, and issues of free speech and civil liberties as protests persist on college campuses across the country.  

Cardona spent a good portion of the hearing fielding questions regarding the latest updates and struggles with FAFSA processing. He assured lawmakers that the system is improving and that more applications have been filed of late, arguing that the new application will yield a more inclusive and productive process in the future, but lawmakers remain skeptical. Many lawmakers also pressed Cardona on efforts to help curb antisemitism and islamophobia on college campuses in the wake of many large-scale demonstrations taking place across the nation.  

In addition to these broader issues, House CTE Caucus co-chair, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, and several other Members raised questions related to CTE.  

Rep. Courtney initially voiced interest in CTE, referencing 8.5 million job openings. They discussed the skills gap, and Cardona voiced his support for CTE, having graduated from a technical high school himself.  

Rep. Thompson later discussed many of the benefits of CTE with Cardona, noting the high rates of secondary graduation and postsecondary completion and placement rates. He also discussed how CTE programs align with local labor markets, specifically referencing the health care sector, in the aftermath of a global pandemic. Rep. Thompson questioned Cardona on proposed potential regulations related to Perkins, and why regulations would be necessary after the last six years of successful implementation. Cardona did not provide details in his response but expressed an interest in shared goals and further collaboration with Congress to expand access to CTE programs.  

Rep. Bonamici, House CTE Caucus co-chair, also expressed her support for CTE, thanking Cardona for his support and interest in the cause. 

The hearing can be accessed here. 

Last week, Congress held multiple hearings pertaining to education and workforce development, with testimony from both Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. Meanwhile the Departments of Education and Labor continued to stay busy, working on FAFSA processing and preparing for their first Youth Apprenticeship Week, May 5-11. Keep reading for more details! 

• Kaine Reintroduces Bill to Expand Skills Training for New Infrastructure Jobs: Senator Kaine reintroduced the Building U.S. Infrastructure by Leveraging Demands for Skills (BUILDS) Act. The legislation would help develop high-quality work-based learning programs to train workers for in-demand infrastructure careers, and ACTE has endorsed this bill. 
• House Committee on Education and the Workforce Holds Hearing “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor”: The House Committee on Education and the Workforce heard testimony from Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su regarding various topics impacting the Department and the American workforce today, including Registered Apprenticeship, WIOA, and other job training, CTE and workforce development initiatives. Read more on the CTE Policy Watch Blog. 
• Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 CTE Earmarks Analysis: ACTE has analyzed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 omnibus appropriations bill signed into law in March 2024, which contained over 130 earmarks that awarded funding to educational institutions, government agencies and nonprofit partners related to CTE and workforce development. Read more on the CTE Policy Watch Blog to get ideas for future requests. 
• Youth Apprenticeship Week: May 5-11, the Departments of Education and Labor are celebrating the first Youth Apprenticeship Week, designated to uplift and promote the opportunities available for young people to gain in-demand skills and prepare for the workforce. Tune into the “Investing in America” Agenda: Registered Apprenticeship and Other Pathways for Opportunity Youth webinar to learn more, and follow ACTE’s public policy social media (@ACTEpolicy) to keep up with Youth Apprenticeship Week content! 
• New Training at the Registered Apprenticeship Academy: The Registered Apprenticeship Academy shared newly published training modules available to Registered Apprenticeship Sponsors, registration agencies and Department of Labor-funded investment partners. 
• Biden Administration Will Rework Policies For Federal Tech Employees: The Administration announced this week that there will be a new focus on skills-based hiring, and a focus on testing candidates for capabilities instead of relying educational credentials to qualify job-seekers for federal IT roles. 
• Department of Education Completes Processing for Impacted FAFSA Forms: The Department of Education announced that it has completed reprocessing 2024-25 FAFSA forms impacted by known issues with IRS data, enabling all institutions to package financial aid offers.  
• Department of Labor Awards Grants to Support Training and Increase Apprenticeships in High-Demand Careers: The Department of Labor announced $98M in grants to provide training and employment services to expand apprenticeship opportunities, prepare young workers for quality jobs and strengthen the workforce to meet industry demands.  

On Wednesday, acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on the policies and priorities of the Department of Labor.  

During Su’s opening testimony, she highlighted many aspects of President Biden’s budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2025. She stated that the budget “includes major new investments through the $8 billion mandatory Career Training Fund and a new $50 million investment in the Sectoral Employment through Career Training for Occupational Readiness program, both of which will support the development and expansion of public-private partnerships between employers, education and training providers, and community-based groups to equitably deliver high-quality training focused on growing industries.”  

The hearing became contentious as members of the committee used their time to question Su on new regulations. House CTE Caucus co-chair Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-PA) expressed concerns about the proposed regulations regarding CTE programs and apprenticeships. He said that the rules would expand federal control over already successful programs. “Just because each of these are successful on their own does not mean the Department of Labor should have any role in forcing them together through regulation,” Thompson stated. 

In her response, Su replied that the intention of rules is to “braid together more connectivity,” and not to limit CTE programs.  

Thompson later added that the new rules would also require new CTE apprenticeships to adhere to new “industry skills frameworks,” which would dictate CTE curriculum in violation of federal law. 

ACTE submitted extensive comments regarding the proposed apprenticeship regulations back in March, and we continue to follow and weigh on this important conversation.  

A recording of hearing can be found here. 

Expanding the Role of the Four-year Institution for Seamless Success in Career Pathways: Advance CTE has published a brief that discusses the challenges facing postsecondary administrators in their efforts to ensure that learners seamlessly transition across two-and four-year institutions while also highlighting strategies at the state and local levels to overcome these challenges. Researchers discovered that approximately 80% of community college learners have the desire to transfer to a four-year college but only 33% of these earners end up completing a transfer.

Strategies and recommendations for policymakers and administrators are described below:

• Implement a regulated and uniform course numbering system to provide learners a clear understanding of courses that match between and across institutions.
• Ensure statewide guaranteed transfers of associate degrees to allow learners with this credential to receive all their credits and junior standing upon transferring.
• Collect and report disaggregated data to support four-year institutions in making more informed decisions.
• Incorporate learner voices into decision-making processes to better understand unique challenges and support student academic success.

One of the states highlighted in the report is Colorado, which is one of eight states across the nation that has all four of the ideal policies — reverse transfer, common course numbering, transferrable core courses and guaranteed transfer — named in the report. However, the state did not stop there in its efforts to support learners with initiatives such as the Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree Program saving students an average of $10,000 in expenses.

Adult Education Performance Reports: The U.S. Department of Education has released 2022-23 data for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). National AEFLA program year (PY) 2022-23 key metrics and insights are shared below:

• PY 2022-23 saw over 1.1 million enrollees for an annual increase of 22%, representing the largest consecutive growth of all WIOA core programs combined.
• Over 290,000 new youth participants ages 16-24 enrolled in PY 2022-23, which is twice the number participating in WIOA Title I Youth Programs.
• Enrollment for groups such as migrant/seasonal workers, low-income individuals, and youth experiencing homelessness or who have left home all increased in comparison to PY 2021-22 levels, with enrollment in corrections education growing by 16%.
• National performance went up across the board, with the largest rise coming from the Median Earnings during the Second Quarter after Exit indicator at a 9.1% increase.

How Rural Community College-Industry Partnerships Help Communities Thrive: A recently published National Skills Coalition report highlights the benefits that rural community college-industry partnerships bring to learners, employers and the economic prosperity of rural communities.

The report explores the diversity of rural communities, sharing that agriculture and mining make up less than 10% of rural jobs across the nation, with service and manufacturing jobs and small businesses playing major roles in the rural workforce. In addition, clean energy jobs represent a larger proportion of jobs available in rural areas than in urban centers and are growing at a faster rate.

Researchers interviewed 10 community college administrators and 13 issue-area experts across the nation who highlighted successful cases such as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, which has eliminated silos between credit and noncredit programs and reorganized itself into eight schools organized by industry sector.

Key factors for success and scalable solutions include the following:

• Bridge siloes across systems and industries to prioritize student experiences and adapt to employer needs.
• Design industry partnership programs that help underrepresented learners build the skills and competencies required for good jobs and that lead to quality credentials.
• Invest in direct student financial aid to support learner access to postsecondary pathways and careers with local employers.
• Engage postsecondary administrators, teachers, industry, parents and students directly in the implementation process to allow them to share their nuanced understanding of potential solutions to the issues facing rural institutions.