During testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Sethuraman Panchanathan emphasized the importance of rapid workforce development investments and scaling training programs to fill jobs created by investments in key industries, such as manufacturing, semiconductor research and development, and infrastructure.

As one portion of the NSF request for FY 2024, the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) will help cultivate new education pathways leading to a diverse and skilled future technical workforce comprising researchers, practitioners, technicians, entrepreneurs and educators that is fully prepared to enter the STEM workforce. Experiential Learning in Emerging Industries (ExLENT), a work-based learning model, and NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) will also support business and economic growth in underserved regions through equitable research, entrepreneurship and workforce development.

In response to questions about proposed budget cuts for fiscal year (FY) 2024 (as part of their debt limit negotiations, Republicans have proposed cutting discretionary spending back to FY 2022 levels), Panchanathan said such cuts could harm NSF workforce development efforts and hamstring implementation of new initiatives.

“A reduction of 22% will preclude NSF from being able to reach the estimated 10,000 individuals [entering engineering programs] in fiscal year 2024 alone, threatening this goal of the long-term competitiveness in semiconductors and other key technologies,” he said. “Our nation needs to train 280,000 new workers in semiconductors and microelectronics over the next five years.”

You can view the full hearing at the link here.

Today, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies to discuss the Biden-Harris Administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education.

One key theme was the availability of high-skill jobs that will soon be available as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act. To this end, Secretary Cardona described the Administration’s Career-Connected High Schools initiative, in addition to the $1.47 billion requested for the Career and Technical Education (CTE) State Grants program, an increase of $43 million over the fiscal year 2023 enacted level.

Notably, Sec. Cardona was asked by Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) about specific plans for STEM and computer science education in low income and rural communities.

“There's a set aside, $100 million, just for rural communities to make sure that we're giving them the opportunities to innovate around STEM education,” said Cardona. This funding would be distributed through the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) followed by asking whether he supports efforts to expand federal Pell grants to short-term, high-quality workforce training programs, also known as “short-term Pell.”

“You know, I've been telling educators throughout the country, ‘evolve, you have to change your programing to meet the demand,’ and I think part of that is us also recognizing the benefits of short-term Pell and being open to the benefits of programing that gives students the skills that they need in a shorter period of time,” said Cardona. “And in the same breath, I want to share with you that if we are to consider that, we have to also make sure that we're not putting our students in a disadvantage where they're using Pell dollars, not having it later and not ensuring high quality or accountability for good programing there.”

You can view our coverage of President Biden’s fiscal year 2024 budget request here, our statement about the budget here, as well as the full hearing at the YouTube link here.

As the appropriations process continues, stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for the most up-to-date information that may affect the CTE community.

Congress remained on recess this week so things in Washington were relatively quiet. However, there was a fair amount of conversation about the debt limit, with Republicans congressional leaders floating several ideas as part of ongoing negotiations. Several of those ideas could prove detrimental to education and workforce development funding, including across the board cuts to domestic discretionary spending, caps on non-defense spending and limits on spending growth for the next 10 years. As Congress returns on April 17, these debt limit conversations are expected to ramp up in the House in particular. In the meantime, here is some other news from the past week:

• 37 Senators Support Perkins Funding: The “Dear Colleague” letter led by Sens. Blumenthal (D-CT) and Kaine (D-VA) has been finalized and sent to the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. A total of 37 senators signed the letter in support of robust funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant in the FY 24 appropriations bill. You can view the final letter and check for your senators here!
• Senators Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill on Early Postsecondary Opportunities: Peters (D-MI), Boozman (R-AR), Kaine (D-VA) and Braun (IN) have re-introduced legislation that would expand opportunities within the Higher Education Act to support dual and concurrent enrollment and early college high school programs. ACTE has endorsed this legislation.
• CTE Caucus Co-Chair Announces Re-election Bid: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus, has announced her intent to run for re-election in 2024.
• Department of Education Delays Third-party Servicer Guidance: In a blog post on April 11, Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal announced that initial guidance on transparency and accountability for contractors who work with institutions of higher education on program management and delivery would be delayed.The Department is reviewing feedback received on initial guidance and will be reissuing revisions to the guidance letter, which will then take effect at least six months later.

Congress was on recess this week for the Easter and Passover holidays and will not return until April 17. That made it a relatively quiet week on Capitol Hill, but there was still a variety of activity within the Administration related to CTE. Here is a wrap-up of various news and notes:

• Department of Education Hosts Information Session on Career Z WBL Challenge: The first information session for those interested in applying for the Career Z Work-based Learning Challenge was held on April 4. Visit the website to view a recording, slides and more information.

• Department of Education Seeks Peer Reviewers: The Department of Education has released a notice seeking peer reviewers for various upcoming grant competitions, including competitions within the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education such as under the Perkins Act’s Innovation and Modernization Fund. Please register at g5.gov if you are interested in serving in this role!
• Administration Officials Visit CTE Programs: First Lady Jill Biden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona were on the road during the week visiting CTE and other education and workforce development programs, including in Colorado, Michigan, Maine and Vermont. See more coverage on our ACTE Public Policy Twitter Account!

• Department of Labor Announces New Grant Program: $80 million is now available for the “Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs” grant program, which is designed to allow public and private sector partners to develop or scale workforce training programs in advanced manufacturing; IT; and careers in renewable energy, transportation and broadband infrastructure. Applications are due July 7, and more information is available at https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20230405.

2022 State Policies Promoting Early Postsecondary: The College in High School Alliance (CHSA) recently released its 2022 year-in-review report that summarizes key trends in state law related to college in high school programs such as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment and early college high school. Researchers found that 263 bills across 37 states were introduced in 2022, an increase from 222 bills in 2021. Additionally, 2022 saw 54 new laws enacted across 24 states. The biggest areas of activity in enacted laws were finance as well as program integrity and credit transfer. Notably, the report mentions that perhaps due to a more favorable budgetary environment as a result of the American Rescue Plan, states put a major focus on dual-enrollment funding and looking for ways to eliminate student expenses. The past year also saw an increase in laws that impact navigational supports, with five new laws in 2022 in comparison to two new laws in 2021.

Some of the most notable laws include California AB 181, which invests $200 million into establishing a competitive grant program to support the expansion of high-quality dual-enrollment programs in the state. Additionally, Florida passed HB 5001, which appropriated $11 million to reimburse the cost of instructional materials for postsecondary institutions. For more information visit CHSA’s State Legislation Tracker.

Advancing Dual-enrollment Equity Through State Policy: A recent report by the Education Commission of the States tackles the challenges and barriers of making dual enrollment more accessible among underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. The report notes that participation in dual enrollment is critical in creating positive postsecondary outcomes for learners but that participation is currently not representative across student groups. Researchers found that students face three main barriers to dual-enrollment participation starting with accessibility, or the lack of availability of programs in their school districts or areas; affordability, or the lack of predictable financial supports; and quality, or the lack of available high-quality programs with transferable credits and skills.

Eliminating Dead Ends: Learner-centered Approaches to Stackable Pathways: Education Strategy Group recently sought to analyze and tackle the current issues faced by stackable pathways and credentials. More specifically, researchers claim that most stackable pathways systems focus too much on the stackability of a credential rather than on the stackability of learner knowledge. The toolkit is designed for institutions throughout the nation that are aiming to improve their approach to stackable credits and includes specific strategies, further resources, guiding questions and an action planning template organized around four pillars for “forward-thinking, learner-centered” stackable pathways:

• Data infrastructure and systems
• Mapping and alignment of curriculum
• Credential pathways communication
• Student-centered supports

Do Stranded Academic Credits Lead To Stranded Students?: A recent article released by Forbes looked at the issue of academic credit policies and transfers among postsecondary institutions as well as the challenges faced by learners of all ages in completing a postsecondary degree or credential when credentials earned from one institution are not accepted at another. The article makes note of a study from StraighterLine and UPCEA, the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, which looked at how transfer policies are affecting students across the country who look to transfer between institutions. According to the study, 40% of students choose to transfer due to financial reasons and only 61% of those who transfer said their new institution accepted most or all their credits. Forbes author Alison Griffin emphasizes the importance of this issue in helping the almost 40 million Americans that have some college, but no degree and student debt finish their postsecondary education. Speaking with Gerardo de los Santos, Vice President for Community Relations of National University, the author mentioned the consensus among advocates on the need to break down transfer credit barriers that impede student access and completion of postsecondary education.

This week in Washington, lawmakers focused on pressing national security and domestic issues, debt limit negotiations, holding oversight hearings and conducting further appropriations hearings as part of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process. The House and Senate are now out of session until after the two-week Easter and Passover recess. They will return during the week of April 17. As we await their return, here are some news and notes:

• New Community College Enrollment Data Released: The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) has released the most recent data highlighting community college enrollment in spring 2023. The data revealed that community college enrollment is up by 2.1%, fueled by strong growth among dual credit students and freshmen. You can examine the complete list of figures released by the NSC here.

• Advance CTE President Testifies on Rural Issues: On March 29, South Dakota state CTE director and Advance CTE president Laura Scheibe testified before the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing titled “Addressing the Challenges of Rural America.” Scheibe fielded questions from committee members and detailed South Dakota’s efforts to support secondary and postsecondary CTE students through a variety of methods, including Student Support Counselors who assist first-generation students with transportation, affordable housing and navigating postsecondary education. In addition, she illuminated the importance of Perkins funding and flexible distribution of Perkins funds. Read more about the hearing here.

• Summit Gathers in DC to Discuss Workforce Development for Young Adults: The U.S. Department of Labor recently hosted workforce development advocates and professionals from around the United States at the Youth Employment Works Summit to discuss its new youth and young adult employment initiative that prioritizes these workers in developing the workforce of the nation. Read more about the summit here.

ACTE is launching a revamp of our popular Sector Sheet series that describes CTE’s role in growing the workforce for vital industry sectors. Today, we’ve published the first of these updates, CTE: Developing the Energy Workforce. The Sector Sheet series is published with support from ACTE’s long-time partner Pearson.

The revised Sector Sheets will 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.

The Energy Sector Sheet shares how CTE supports America’s energy needs by preparing learners to enter this critical workforce, which employs 7.8 million people and is growing faster than the total U.S. workforce. It describes key energy occupations and their related earnings as well as how CTE prepares learners for energy careers through courses, education and industry credentials, work-based learning, career and technical student organizations, and more.

As we move forward with this revision, 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, counselors, policymakers and others to spread the message about CTE and its benefits for students and the workforce.