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.  

This event followed a day of advocacy for attendees, which began with a panel featuring congressional staff from the House and Senate who work with CTE issues regularly. After the panel, attendees met with their Members of Congress and staff to discuss CTE policy issues impacting them. Advocates shared their stories on what CTE means to them, and the challenges they face working in the field at both the secondary and postsecondary levels.  

The reception featured eight CTSOs, including Business Professionals of America (BPA), DECA, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), National FFA Organization, HOSA-Future Health Professionals, SkillsUSA and Technology Student Association (TSA). Students from each CTSO showcased a bit of their work and were able to network and mingle with ACTE staff, NPS attendees, staff from the Department of Education, congressional staff and Members of Congress.  

Student representatives from each CTSO introduced themselves and their organizations to the group, and welcomed special guests including Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career and Technical Adult Education (OCTAE) Amy Lloyd, Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Glenn “GT” Thompson, who serve as co-chairs of the House CTE Caucus, and Senators Tim Kaine, co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, and Amy Klobuchar, member of the Senate CTE Caucus. The speakers shared some of their incredible work on CTE policy, including but not limited to the House Resolution introduced by Representatives Thompson and Bonamici to recognize February as CTE Month. They also shared their personal stories with CTE, highlighting the positive impact such programming has had on their families and their careers.  

American Student Assistance® in collaboration with Education Strategy Group recently published a report that explores the resources and mechanisms that state leaders, school administrators and CTE educators are leveraging to implement and expand middle grades career exploration.

Researchers noted a worrying trend of 45% of young Americans in Generation Z who say a high school diploma is all they need to get financial security, while 72% of U.S. jobs are expected to require some form of postsecondary education by 2031.

Experts suggest that the solution to better prepare learners to make decisions about their careers is intervention at an earlier age in the form of middle grades career exploration. Most states having identified middle grades career exploration as an important component of a student’s education (73%), have dedicated funding to support such activities (92%), and have policies that require some type of middle grades career exploration (92%). Twenty-seven states require students to develop an individual career and academic plan in middle school. Additionally, all but one state reported offering material supports for schools and districts to guide their middle grades career exploration work, often in the form of templates, tools, lesson plans and platforms.

Despite this recent progress, only 11 states (22%) have explicitly codified the term middle school career exploration in state statute. In addition, only 20% of states collect data on middle grades exploration while only 14% include this topic in their state or federal accountability systems.

When it comes to funding, the majority of states (96%) have allocated some funds to support middle grades career exploration although amounts vary greatly. Forty-one percent of states fund middle grades exploration only through federal sources such as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Perkins V and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

School administrators are most frequently using this money to invest in customized online platforms that facilitate students’ career planning. Three states report using their funds to increase districts’ capacity through career advisors and coaches, while only a few states are dedicating funds to specifically support career and technical student organizations with middle grade chapters.

The following recommendations describe how Perkins V and CTE can be leveraged to support middle grades career exploration:

• Use state Perkins V and ESSA plans to set middle grades career exploration expectations and to monitor quality and data collection.
• Revise state policies that limit students’ abilities to access diverse career exploration opportunities, including restricting CTE course enrollment by grade point average or grade level.
• Ensure explicit commitment to middle grades career exploration in local Perkins V subgrantee applications.
• Use Perkins V to set aside funds to support professional development and to encourage localities to prioritize middle grades career exploration in grant applications.

This week, Congress continued to work behind closed doors on the remaining six appropriations bills, which will expire on March 22. We hope to have more news on potential funding levels for education programs soon! Meanwhile, President Biden released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget Proposal following his State of the Union Address last week, and the Administration has been busy with follow-up activities as well. Keep reading to learn more! 

• President Biden Releases FY2025 Budget Request: President Biden released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, requesting $82 billion for the Department of Education, just slightly above current funding levels, and a $40 million increase for the Perkins Basic State Grant.  

• Secretary Su Provides Remarks to the National League of Cities: Acting Secretary Julie Su delivered remarks at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, highlighting the success of Registered Apprenticeships and ways to empower and uplift the workforce and those in it.  

• Secretary Cardona Highlights CTE Programs at Massachusetts School: On March 14, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited West Springfield High School to tour the school’s CTE programs and meet with district leaders.  

• Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hosts Youth Apprenticeship Hearing: The Senate HELP committee hosted a hearing, “Youth Apprenticeship: Building Partnerships, Strengthening Career Pathways” to discuss ways to expand youth apprenticeships. 

• White House Announces Women in Cyber Webinar: The White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) announced it is hosting a webinar on women in cyber on March 30, in celebration of Women’s History Month. The event will showcase panel discussion of women in cyber across government, industry, academia and non-profit spaces. 

As of early March 2024, at least 29 governors had mentioned CTE and/or workforce development in their State of the State addresses, as reported by the Education Commission of the States.

The following list provides a sample of how CTE was addressed by governors across different states:

• Brad Little announced that Idaho’s LAUNCH grants program will expand to cover up to 80% or approximately $8,000 for enrollment in an education or training program aligned with an in-demand career area after high school graduation.
• Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced an additional state investment of $3 million into youth apprenticeships while celebrating that Missouri now ranks second in the nation for apprenticeship opportunities and describing the establishment or upgrading of 57 CTE institutions in the state.
• Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced that the state is working to develop the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences to provide opportunities within health care fields for students from rural populations.
• Ron DeSantis celebrated a milestone of over 600,000 rapid credentials and industry certificates earned by Florida high school students since 2019. He also highlighted the more than 229,000 students enrolled in CTE programs throughout state colleges.
• Maine Gov. Janet Mills celebrated an investment of over $200 million in job training, credentialing, career exploration and skill attainment programs. She also highlighted that more than 25,000 people have participated in internships, apprenticeships and other career exploration programs.
• Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proposed that the state expand apprenticeship opportunities and improve pathways into health care to tackle the inequity of health care access across the state.
• Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania celebrated the milestone of 33 new apprenticeship programs with an enrollment of over 6,000 new apprentices statewide as well as investments in CTE, apprenticeship and training programs.
• Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds highlighted a record 70% of Iowans that have attained some form of postsecondary education or training, compared to 58% at the beginning of her administration. She credited this achievement to the Future Ready Iowa Act and enhanced education and workforce training across the state.

In conclusion, the future of CTE looks bright in the near and far future with the support of both Democratic and Republican governors who are increasingly aware of the benefits that CTE provides to learners’ educational and workforce journeys. 

For more information on the state-by-state outlook of CTE across the country, check out the recently published State Policies Impacting CTE: 2023 Year in Review report.

On March 11, President Joe Biden released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, requesting $82 billion for the Department of Education, just slightly above current funding levels. The budget announcement came days after the State of the Union address in which he called for teacher pay raises and increasing the Pell Grant. 

The request includes a $40 million budget increase for Perkins, which is just under a 3 percent increase over FY23 levels (remember that FY 24 appropriations are still making their way through Congress). Further, the budget proposes $64 million for the continuation and expansion of the department’s Career-Connected High Schools competitive grant program. It is important to note that competitive grant programs only reach a limited number of students at schools that may be more equipped to apply for and manage the grants, whereas formula grant programs, such as the Perkins Basic State Grant, reach all students, so our primary advocacy focus is on the Basic State Grant.    

In total, the Department of Education budget proposes an increase of $3.9 billion over the FY 2023 budget, including the following programs: 

Secondary 

• $18.6 billion for ESSA Title I, a $200 million increase over FY23 
• $14.4 billion for the IDEA State Grants, a $200 million increase over FY23 
• $215 billion for teacher-preparation grants, including $90 million for the Supporting Effective Educator Development grant 
• $173 million for the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund to support recruitment and retention of educators 

Postsecondary 

• $2.7 billion for the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) 
• $900 increase to the Pell Grant, raising the maximum award from $7,395 to $8,145 for students in public and non-profit institutions 
• $1.23 billion for Federal Work Study 

For the Department of Labor, the budget $13.9 billion, which is about $318 million over FY23 levels. As part of this request, the Administration is not proposing funding increases for many existing workforce development programs, which is due in part to the budgetary caps established by the Fiscal Responsibility Act. However, there is a newly proposed Career Training Fund, which would be funded at $8 billion over the next 10 years and jointly administered by the Departments of Labor, Education and Commerce. Per the department’s budget materials, this new funding stream would provide “up to $10,000 per worker to support the cost of high-quality, evidence-based training with additional funding for wrap-around supports.” 

Additionally, the budget calls for $335 million for Registered Apprenticeship opportunities, with $50 million earmarked to expand existing Registered Apprenticeship programs in clean energy occupations. The budget also allocates $70 million for community colleges to enhance collaborative, high-quality training programs with the public workforce development system and employers. 

Last week, Congress focused primarily on passing a spending package of $460 billion dollars to fund part of the government through the rest of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. President Biden also delivered the 2024 State of the Union this week. In the coming weeks, Congress is hoping to pass the remaining six appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill in order to meet the March 22 deadline under the current continuing resolution. See below for more details and other news: 

• Biden Delivers State of the Union: President Biden delivered his State of the Union Address on Thursday, acknowledging pressing issues facing the country. Most relevant, he discussed access to high-quality jobs for everyone, regardless of whether they possess a degree. A current apprentice and a former technical college student invited by Dr. Jill Biden attended the event, highlighting the importance of skilled apprentices and technical education students. 
• Congress Passes Spending Package to Partially Fund Government Through FY 2024: Just in time for the March 8 deadline, the House and Senate passed the first six FY 2024 appropriations bills 
• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Appoints 30 Leaders to Serve on Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship: The DOL announced the appointments of 30 members to serve on the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship to advise the Secretary of Labor on issues related to the national apprenticeship system. 
• Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster Skills Training for American Workers: Reps. Kilmer, Thompson, Schneider and Fitzpatrick introduced the Skills Investment Act. The bipartisan legislation would help American Workers to pay for skills training, apprenticeships and professional development. A companion bill was also introduced in the Senate by Senators Klobuchar and Braun. ACTE endorsed the bill. 
• Bipartisan Push for Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act (BWPA): Reps. Virginia Foxx and Bobby Scott, chair and ranking member of the House Education and Workforce committee, attended the Business Roundtable’s CEO Workforce Forum to discuss the BWPA. 
• Executive Order on Scaling and Expanding the Use of Registered Apprenticeships in Industries and the Federal Government: President Biden issued an executive order launching an initiative to strengthen the federal workforce using Registered Apprenticeships. For example, the DOL has launched a pilot Federal Youth Apprentice Pathway, which will provide three-year apprenticeship programs leading to permanent federal positions. The Executive Order also seeks to encourage the use of Registered Apprenticeships in federal grants and contracts.
• DOL Releases Updated Guidance on Pre-Apprenticeship Programs: The DOL released a Training and Employment Notice explaining several pre-apprenticeship programs, how they are helpful toward people entering the workforce and best practices to follow for said programs.

Workforce Development in Rural America: The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce recently published a report on the challenges and strengths of small-town America. Researchers discovered that working adults in rural America are almost as likely as working adults in urban America to have a good job – an occupation that pays a minimum of $43,000 for workers aged 25-44 and $55,000 for workers aged 45-64.

More findings and insights below:

• The rural workforce accounts for 13% of the total 25-64-year-old population and holds a proportionate share of roughly 12% of the country’s good jobs.
• The number of colleges offering middle-skills programs is 13 times greater in very urban areas than very rural areas.
• Workers with an associate degree or some college hold a larger share of good jobs in rural areas than in urban areas.
• Across rural areas, the South has the highest rate of non-participation in the labor force (29%) followed by the West (26%).
• White employees hold a larger share of good jobs in rural areas than in urban areas.
• Women workers are less likely to have a good job in rural areas than in urban areas.

Meeting the Workforce Demand of Clean Energy: A recent report by the National Skills Coalition examined the labor supply and demand and potential talent shortages that may be generated by the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act. Researchers found that an average of 2.9 million jobs per year are expected to be generated by these investments.

Here are more details on the impacts of these new laws:

• 69% of jobs created by the laws will be available for workers without a bachelor’s degree. 
• Newly created jobs are projected to pay a median hourly wage of $26.20 an hour or 10.5% higher than current U.S. workforce median hourly wage.
• Multiple occupations will face an anticipated labor shortage of 1.1 million workers with the necessary skills to fill these jobs.
• Approximately two in three jobs will be directly created by the three laws within construction and manufacturing, amounting to about 680,000 total new jobs.

Lessons from the New Skills for Youth Initiative: Advance CTE in collaboration with Education Strategy Group recently released a report that shares the challenges and successes of sustaining the work of the New Skills for Youth (NSFY). The analysis describes outcomes such as improved training and support for CTE teachers, increased usage of data for addressing equity gaps and expanded access to regional and statewide career pathways, among others.

In addition, the authors made the following recommendations:

• Form industry partnerships with intentionality for regional and statewide career pathways to ensure that partners have fully bought into the career pathways vision.
• Emphasize that projected successes from career pathways grant funds will not show up immediately.
• Advocate for dedicated line-item funding at the state level to help sustain organizational work.
• Provide one-on-one assistance to local leaders to help meet demand for scaling career pathways and support the needs of local sites.