On February 15, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing titled, “Supporting Quality Workforce Development Opportunities and Innovation to Address Barriers to Employment.” Four witnesses testified about their workforce development strategies and recommendations to confront the nation’s skills gap. 

Melinda Mack, Executive Director of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals. noted the importance of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in New York, where half a million New Yorkers utilize resources like American Job Centers. Mack added that childcare, transportation, access to career navigation and case management, and continued access to benefits like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are key to worker success in job training programs. 

In response to business demand, the local workforce board in the rural Southern Tier of New York, the regional adult education provider and a state-funded workforce intermediary partnered with four local businesses to design an accelerated machining training program. The program invested WIOA funding to provide individualized case management to ensure workers could navigate the program and access public resources to support childcare needs. 

Peter Beard, Senior Vice President for Regional Workforce Development – Greater Houston Partnership, observed that in Houston, upskilling appears to be more effective when provided in the context of an individual’s current employment, in part because the additional skills workers obtain are generally context specific. 

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) noted that there are opportunities for workers to pursue postsecondary and apprenticeship programs if they wish, and that engaging learners and parents in career exploration is extremely beneficial. “Ultimately, more career exposure is necessary to make sure we are getting through to adults and parents, because many don't know what exists in their region. [Showing] them the facilities makes a huge difference.” 

Ashli Watts, President and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, said, “We hear the rhetoric that college is not for everyone. What we should be saying is that something past high school is for everyone. In Kentucky, we are looking at Union Scholarship dollars so children can go to the pathways that we need for the logistics and manufacturing sectors. We are completely aligned. In Kentucky, our system has been at the forefront of making sure we have the students that are going to meet the needs of our employers in Kentucky.” 

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) added that the JOBS Act, which would expand Pell Grants to short-term postsecondary programs, would help solve or address several of the workforce barriers that the witnesses addressed. 

Each witness emphasized the need to support sector-based training models and industry or sector partnerships to bring businesses of all sizes together with education providers. These partnerships would increase employment opportunities for workers, as well as support learning on the job, including through work-based learning, apprenticeship, and incumbent worker training. You can watch the full hearing here.

On the evening of February 17, the Senate passed a new continuing resolution (CR) by a vote of 65-27. This vote comes after the House passed the CR, H.R. 6617, to extend Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 spending through March 11. The CR was temporarily held up by Republicans in the Senate who attempted to include provisions related to combating vaccine mandates and a Department of Health & Human Services harm reduction program. The amendments were ultimately voted down, with some Republicans voting in line with their Democratic colleagues. The bill now goes to President Biden to sign before government funding runs out after February 18.

Moving forward, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees will continue negotiations to hopefully pass an FY 2022 spending package before government funding runs out again on March 11. Committee leadership has stated that they have come to an agreement on top-level funding, however, have given specifics. It is expected that the military will be receiving a larger increase than originally proposed by Democrats, while more modest increases will be given to non-defense spending like education. This is an effort to reach an agreement that will satisfy at least 60 Senators, including ten Republicans who demanded parity between defense and non-defense increases.

Although no specifics have been given about Perkins funding, ACTE continues to urge Congress to maintain the $50 million increase proposed by the House and Senate last year for FY 2022. It is expected that the President’s budget request will not come until after the State of the Union speech on March 1^st, which marks the beginning of the FY 2023 appropriations process.

Last week, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released their Digest of Education Statistics 2020, an annual compilation of education statistics gathered from a variety of government and private sources. This year’s digest features new data from years 2018 to 2020 on secondary and postsecondary enrollment, educational attainment, types of degrees conferred and more.

Enrollment: Overall enrollment in fall 2018 for public elementary and secondary school totaled nearly 50.7 million students while enrollment in fall 2019 for postsecondary institutions consisted of more than 20 million students. More than 5.4 million students were enrolled in public two-year institutions and almost 59,000 were enrolled in public less-than-two-year institutions, an 11% increase from the year prior.

Credentials: During the 2018-19 academic year, public two-year institutions conferred over 687,000 associate degrees and more than 529,000 certificates. Public less-than-two-year institutions conferred nearly 34,000 certificates.

When examining all public postsecondary institutions, both associate degrees and certificates that take longer than a year to complete shared the same most popular fields of study: liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities; health professions; and business. For shorter term certificates, mechanic and repair technologies joined health professions and business as the most popular fields of study.

Earnings Outcomes: In 2019, the median annual earnings for associate degree holders were $50,550 and for those with some postsecondary education were over $47,000. Male associate degree holders made 33% more and males with some postsecondary education made 27% more than their female counterparts.

Data from various NCES surveys are an important source of information about CTE students and programs, with the most relevant data for our community located on the center’s CTE Statistics webpage. This year, NCES is launching the High School & Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2022 (HS&B:22), which will follow 26,000 students as they make the journey to and through high school and into the workforce or postsecondary education. If your school is contacted to participate in HS&B:22, ACTE encourages your participation.

On Tuesday, February 15, ACTE and Advance CTE hosted a Capitol Hill webinar briefing with career and technical education student organizations (CTSOs) and congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), bringing together policymakers, CTE stakeholders and CTSO representatives for a learner-focused conversation on the value of CTE. 

Rep. Langevin welcomed the webinar attendees and offered remarks from his perspective as a policymaker and co-chair of the House CTE Caucus. “Employers report that many of the top jobs that they need to fill require some form of technical skill, highlighting the importance of a well-prepared workforce and that’s where all of these young people come in… I believe that education is most effective when aligned with industry needs.” 

Sen. Young reiterated his pride in serving as a co-chair of the Senate CTE Caucus and the importance of CTE in the current economic climate. “Our nation’s economy is facing a serious skills gap,” Young said. “In my home state of Indiana, 3 out of 5 jobs require skills training that amounts to more than a high school degree, but less than a traditional four-year degree at the college or university level. CTE programs are essential, and ensure that skilled jobs are actually filled in key Indiana industries.” 

Moderator and Advance CTE Executive Director Kimberly Green then introduced student panelists Gowri Rangu, Zac Spohn, Kartik Tyagi and Maria Deddens. 

Rangu, of Longview, Texas, observed that “through CTSOs, you have so much power as an individual to use your voice and influence change.” Rangu currently serves as the First Vice President of the Technology Student Association (TSA). 

Spohn, attending Minnesota State University and representing DECA, noted that “DECA was the first time I was in a classroom where what I was being taught was applicable to what I wanted to do with my life and career.” 

Tyagi, a UNC Chapel Hill student and International President-elect of the Health Occupations Students Association (HOSA), added that “my CTSO has provided me with mentors and opportunities to expand my professional network. These individuals are some of the biggest cheerleaders on my career journey and help to shape who I am today.” Tyagi also discussed the importance of obtaining professional certifications, including his own experience earning his pharmacy technician certificate. 

For Deddens, of St. Leon, Indiana, CTSOs are a family affair and serve her community. “After witnessing my sister in the role as a state CTSO officer [for FCCLA] and applying her skills in the real world, I wanted to take the step to go into a CTSO and make a difference and a change within my community.” 

Each of the students spoke about the need for equitable access to CTE programs that can help create a more accessible and affordable future as learners explore their career paths and interests.  

Rangu summed up the experiences of each of the panelists by reminding the audience of policymakers and CTE stakeholders that they need to continue investing in CTE. “You’re not investing in an organization, you’re investing in the future.”

Update 2/25: Please read about Advance CTE's decision to suspend their update to the National Career Clusters Framework on their website at https://careertech.org/the-framework. 

Update 2/23: Comments on this blog post are closed so that ACTE can compile member input to share with Advance CTE. To share your feedback going forward, please do one of the following: 1) Submit comments to Advance CTE through their feedback form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1N-kRjpPcw2ohx0JAggRGB5_JLzMSr1941JSLY4RxdFHL9g/viewform by February 25; 2) Share your thoughts with ACTE by emailing publicpolicy@acteonline.org. 

Last week, Advance CTE released a proposed draft for updates to the National Career Clusters® Framework, which is used for a variety of purposes around the country, including describing CTE, organizing CTE programs, reporting federal CTE data and helping students explore career areas.

Advance CTE has been working on an update to the current Framework for the last year, through an initiative called "Advancing the National Career Clusters Framework," and now has a proposal for feedback and refinement. The impetus to revise the Framework came from a call to action from the CTE community
and its stakeholders to update the current 16 National Career Clusters Framework because they felt it was no longer reflective of the current or future world of work.

The proposal is based on the purpose of providing "structural alignment and a common language to bridge education and work, empowering each learner to explore, decide and prepare for dynamic and evolving careers." It is important to note that the proposed Framework is a draft and may not reflect all feedback gathered to date. For the most updated version of this proposed Framework and additional information, please visit the Advancing the Framework page of the Advance CTE website. The draft Framework reduces the number of national Career Clusters from 16 to 12 and includes the following:

• Business, Management and Public Administration
• Construction & Built Environment
• Education
• Energy
• Food, Living Systems & Natural Resources
• Health, Wellbeing & Community Services
• Information Technology
• Manufacturing and Operations
• Media, Entertainment & Experiences
• Research & Analytics
• Security & Justice
• Transportation & Mobility

It is important that all CTE stakeholders review the draft updates and think critically about how they would impact your programs and students. You can view a presentation on the rationale behind the updates at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxGN90e4yH8&feature=youtu.be and then, once you have viewed the webinar, submit comments to Advance CTE through their feedback form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1N-kRjpPcw2ohx0JAggRGB5_JLzMSr1941JSLY4RxdFHL9g/viewform. Comments must be submitted through the form by February 25. Questions and comments in this form will be attended to through a Frequently Asked Questions document to be shared widely in March by Advance CTE. They hope to have a new Clusters Framework approved by their board of directors later this spring.  

ACTE is also interested in hearing your feedback as we work to represent our members during the process. If you would like to share your thoughts with us, please email publicpolicy@acteonline.org.

This was another busy week in Washington for CTE-related measures, as both chambers of Congress introduced companion resolutions celebrating February as CTE Month. You can read more about the resolutions in the summaries below! Only the Senate will be in town for votes the week of February 14, and focus is likely to shift to the expiration of government funding The House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to extend government funding until March 11, which is now awaiting a Senate vote. In the meantime, here are more headlines from Washington: 

• Congressional CTE Caucus Co-Chairs Lead CTE Month Resolutions: On February 9, Congressional CTE Caucus co-chairs Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), along with Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Todd Young (R-IN), introduced resolutions to celebrate February 2022 as CTE Month in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate. The resolutions highlight the impact of CTE programs on learners at all levels, as well as the role of CTE in supporting industries seeking to fill positions in high-demand, high-skill, and high-wage jobs and career fields.

• Advance CTE and ACTE Release Ninth Annual State Policy Review: On February 10, Advance CTE and ACTE released the ninth annual State Policies Impacting CTE: Year in Review report and 2021 State Policy Tracker, examining 2021 state legislation, executive orders and budget provisions that significantly impact CTE and career readiness. This year’s report provides an analysis that spans across 41 states that enacted 138 policies relevant to CTE. You can read the full report at the link above.

• Department of Education Announces Updates to College Scorecard: The Department of Education has released updates to the College Scorecard that make the tool more useful for students and families weighing college options. The tool also includes new and updated information that may be beneficial to school counselors, college access providers, researchers, and other critical stakeholders.

• Senate HELP Subcommittee Holds Hearing on the Health Care Workforce: On February 10, the Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety held a hearing titled, “Recruiting, Revitalizing & Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage.” During the hearing, Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Mike Braun (R-IN) highlighted the need for health care professionals to be able to reskill and upskill as the health care industry faces workforce shortages.

• House Passes CR: On February 8, the House passed a stopgap appropriations bill to extend government funding through March 11. The Senate is expected to consider the measure during the week of February 14 so that it can be signed into law before the current CR expires on February 18. Congress is hoping to be able to finally complete work on FY 2022 appropriations bills by the new March 11 deadline, and House and Senate Appropriations Committees leaders have announced an agreement on overall spending levels that will allow for final negotiations on those bills. 

Much of the data we have about the experiences and outcomes of high school students taking part in CTE come from the National Center for Education Statistics’ high school longitudinal studies. Now, NCES is launching a new version of these studies, the High School & Beyond Longitudinal Study of 2022 (HS&B:22).

HS&B:22 will follow 26,000 students as they make the journey to and through high school and into the workforce or postsecondary education. This study will capture a holistic view of student learning, growth and development during these significant years and will help researchers to answer questions about how students’ backgrounds and school experiences affect education and life outcomes. HS&B:22 includes specific topics relevant to CTE, such as CTE coursetaking, career development and exploration experiences, and outcomes for CTE students in further education and the workforce.

If your school is contacted to participate in HS&B:22, ACTE encourages your participation.

HS&B:22 is sponsored by NCES and data are being collected by RTI International. For more information, visit the HS&B:22 website or email HSB22@rti.org.