Last week in Washington, the focus was on the release of President Biden’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget request. We have developed several blog articles this week on funding-related processes, including a full recap of the president’s budget and what it means for CTE, which can be found below. Each chamber will return to Washington this week for one more week before adjourning for the Easter recess. There could potentially be action on the America COMPETES Act/USICA this week as we await the naming of conferees, as well as broader action on the Supreme Court nomination and COVID emergency funding. Stay tuned to CTE Policy Watch for any upcoming advocacy opportunities! In the meantime, here are some news and notes from Washington:

• President Releases FY 2023 Budget Request: On March 28, the Biden Administration released the president’s FY 2023 budget request. The request, which serves as a blueprint for Congress to appropriate federal funds, included a disappointing $25 million cut to the Perkins Basic State Grant compared to FY 2022 levels. Read more about the president’s budget request here.

• WIOA Reauthorization Bill Formally Introduced: On March 31, Democratic House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Higher Education Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (D-FL) introduced a new bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill, H.R. 7309, is titled the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022. Read more about the bill here.

• Movement on America COMPETES/USICA: Last week, the House and Senate both took additional procedural steps to move forward on a bipartisan innovation bill. First, the Senate took up the House version of the bill (the American COMPETES Act) and amended it with the text of their bill, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, or USICA. Following Senate approval of their bill, the House approved a motion to instruct conferees to begin negotiations to reconcile the differences between the two versions of the legislation. Speaker Nancy Pelosi added that conferees were expected to be formally named this week.

• Latest Information on Earmarks: The recently signed FY 2022 omnibus appropriations bill marked the first spending bill in a decade to include earmarks. If you have a project that might be eligible under the guidelines highlighted in this blog post, please reach out to your elected officials in the House and Senate to inquire about their request process for FY 2023. Readers can use this spreadsheet created by ACTE to learn more about which CTE-related projects in their state received FY 2022 earmarked funding. Read our full earmark analysis here.

• ACTE Releases Spanish Translation of “CTE Works!” Fact Sheet: This week, ACTE released a Spanish-translated version of our “CTE Works!” fact sheet to help CTE supporters inform learners and families in the Spanish-speaking community about recent research on CTE’s benefits. Read more here.

• House Small Business Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Upskilling and Reskilling: On March 31, the House Committee on Small Business’s Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development Subcommittee held a hearing titled, “Skill, Upskill, and Reskill: Analyzing New Investments in Workforce Development,” featuring witnesses from across the workforce development and business spectrum. Each Member of Congress in attendance and the witnesses emphasized the need to expand skills training to fill workforce gaps through CTE. Read more about the hearing here.

• Department of Labor CTE-Related Grant Opportunities: The Department of Labor currently has several open competitive grant opportunities for CTE stakeholders to apply for and obtain funding. We’ve reported on many of these grants as they were announced, but wanted to provide them here again all in one place! Read the rundown here.

• GAO Releases Report on CTE Challenges and Strategies: The U.S. Government and Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a study on how CTE programs are supporting learners. Researchers interviewed state education officials in Delaware, Georgia, Ohio and Washington; representatives from eight CTE program providers; 14 stakeholders such as employer partners; and individuals from six national CTE organizations. Read more about the study findings here.

• Secretary of Education Cardona Statement on Teacher Shortages: Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona is calling on states, higher education leaders and schools to tap federal resources to address the nationwide teacher shortage. Among the proposals the Secretary suggested is the establishment of teaching as a registered apprenticeship at the state and district level. Read more from the Department of Education here.

On March 31, Democratic House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Higher Education Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (D-FL) introduced a new bill to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The bill, H.R. 7309, is titled the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

WIOA was last reauthorized in 2014, and Congress has been working on new legislation for quite some time, including by holding Committee hearings and negotiating potential language. This is the first comprehensive proposal to be introduced this reauthorization cycle, and it is tentatively scheduled to be considered by the House Education and Labor Committee on Tuesday, April 5.

In introducing the legislation, Chairman Scott said, "For decades, WIOA programs have strengthened our economy and helped workers find more sustainable and better-paying jobs. Now, as Americans across the country are getting back to work, it is more critical than ever that we expand access to high-quality job training opportunities. This legislation would finally invest serious federal funding in our nation’s workforce development and help ensure that all workers—including women, people of color, and justice-involved individuals—have access to the resources they need to find rewarding careers.”

We are still working to analyze the legislation and will be weighing in with the Committee with more detailed comments before the markup. However, early reviews indicate that there are some positive changes included in the legislation in line with our priorities. For example, the new bill:

• Eliminates the requirement to spend the majority of youth funds on out-of-school youth, which could make it easier for CTE programs to coordinate with WIOA youth programs.
• Proposes a potential solution to funding the one-stop system's infrastructure costs, replacing the cumbersome memorandum of understanding provision in current law.
• Codifies the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants, Workforce Data Quality grants, and a new sector strategies program.

We will be providing more details as the bill moves through the legislative process!

April 6 Update:

The House Education and Labor Committee considered the WIOA reauthorization bill on April 5 and approved it on a party-line vote of 29-21. In advance of the markup, ACTE and Advance CTE sent this letter to committee leaders outlining positive aspects of the bill and areas where we think more work is needed. 

Today, ACTE released a Spanish-translated version of our “CTE Works!” fact sheet to help CTE supporters inform learners and families in the Spanish-speaking community about recent research on CTE’s benefits.

This resource provides an evidence-based overview of CTE’s impact on student achievement, education and employment outcomes, and the skills gap and economy in the Spanish language.

We encourage you to share this fact sheet with Spanish speakers currently involved or new to CTE as well as those who interact with the Spanish-speaking community, including students and families; educators, counselors and administrators; and federal, state and local education and workforce leaders.

Click here to access the English version of this resource.

On March 31, the House Committee on Small Business’s Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Workforce Development Subcommittee held a hearing titled, “Skill, Upskill, and Reskill: Analyzing New Investments in Workforce Development” featuring witnesses from across the workforce development and business spectrum. Each Member of Congress in attendance and the witnesses emphasized the need to expand skills training to fill workforce gaps through CTE. 

Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) noted in his opening statement that small businesses are having difficulty finding workers with the skills needed to do the jobs that they are applying for, despite record numbers of open jobs, a sentiment echoed by Ranking Member Young Kim (R-CA). Rep. Crow noted that the nation’s workforce development system has been historically underfunded. 

Ranking Member Kim also discussed expanding apprenticeship opportunities and referenced bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) to use Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Womens’ Business Centers (WBCs) to assist small businesses in hiring CTE program graduates. ACTE has endorsed this legislation. 

Several of the witnesses also highlighted the need to invest in CTE. Dr. Mordecai Brownlee of Aurora (CO) Community College said, “Our workforce programs, while innovative and responsive, are expensive to operate. For example, programs in healthcare and advanced manufacturing are in great demand but are also among the most expensive programs to offer. To maintain our roles as leading providers of workforce training and maintain affordability for students, it is critical that we make meaningful investments in career and technical education infrastructure at community colleges. Dedicated community college job-training programs, like those originally included in the Build Back Better Act, would fund these critical efforts.”  

Brownlee also added that initiatives like the JOBS Act to expand Pell Grants to short-term training programs would help support workforce development efforts at Aurora. 

Joseph Kane of the Brookings Institution noted that, “[there] is a lack of awareness among Americans that these [careers in infrastructure] even exist. Many infrastructure jobs, along with the relevant educational and training pathways to access them, lack visibility among students and prospective workers. Students and prospective workers may still struggle to gain knowledge and experience for a host of reasons: a lack of employer engagement, rigid licensing requirements, underfunded career and technical education programs and limited supportive and wrap-around services, such as childcare.”

Kane seconded Dr. Brownlee’s support for short-term Pell expansion. 

Diane Benck of West Side Tractor in Illinois also called for greater federal investments in CTE. “Lawmakers should pursue policies that invest in career and technical education programs and incentivize students to pursue vocational education. The Perkins Act is critical to the funding of technical education programs across the nation and developing the career and technical skills of secondary and postsecondary students. Unfortunately, Perkins Act funding hasn’t kept pace with the demand or the nation’s needs.” Like each of the witnesses, Benck also emphasized the need to expand Pell Grants to short-term programs. 

You can watch the full hearing at the link above.

The Department of Labor currently has several open competitive grant opportunities for CTE stakeholders to apply for and obtain funding. We’ve reported on many of these grants as they were announced, but wanted to provide them here again all in one place! Here is a rundown of the available grant funding opportunities in order of soonest closing date: 

• Pathway Home 3 
  Designed to support justice-involved individuals and incarcerated adults, this grant closes on April 19, 2022. Eligible entities include re-entry organizations, employers, faith and community-based organizations, unions, nonprofit entities, state and local governments, Tribal governments and public institutions of higher education. Apply for the grant here.

• Growth Opportunities
  For this grant, grantees will need a violence prevention partner with significant experience in culturally competent outreach to individuals with a high risk of committing violence. The goal is to interrupt the cycle of violence. Eligible entities include labor organizations/unions, Native American Tribal organizations and governments, local governments, nonprofit entities and faith and community-based organizations. This grant closes on April 21, 2022. Apply for the grant here. 
   
• Workforce Pathways for Youth 
  These grants will fund national Out of School Time (OST) organizations that serve historically underserved and marginalized youth ages 14 to 21. These grants will place an emphasis on age-appropriate workforce readiness programming to expand job training and workforce pathways for youth, including soft skill development, career exploration, job readiness and certification, summer jobs, year-round job opportunities and apprenticeships. This program aims to also support partnerships between workforce boards and youth serving organizations and establish lasting connections and partnerships with state and local workforce partners to introduce youth to career-related services. This grant closes on April 25, 2022 and is open to nonprofit entities. Apply for the grant here.

• Apprenticeship Building America Grant Program 
  This grant emphasizes partnerships with employers and labor organizations in high-demand, critical industries, including those in the supply chain. The grant will focus on four categories: state apprenticeship system building and modernization; expansion of registered apprenticeship opportunities for youth; ensuring equitable apprenticeship pathways through pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship hubs. Eligible entities include labor organizations/ unions, state and local governments and workforce boards, Tribal governments and organizations, nonprofits, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, public and private higher education institutions, HBCUs, MSIs, school districts, alternative high schools and faith and community-based organizations. This grant closes on April 25, 2022. Apply for the grant here. 
   
• WIOA Indian and Native American Programs – Employment and Training Grants 
  This grant is tailored specifically to Tribal governments and organizations. The funding will be used to help eligible Indians and Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians with employment, financial assistance for education and training, and other supportive services. Native American, Alaskan and Native Hawaiian organizations, as well as Native American, Alaskan and Native Hawaiian Tribal governments are eligible to apply. This grant closes on May 6, 2022. Apply for the grant here.
   

• Strengthening Community Colleges 
  This grant will focus on accelerated learning strategies that support skill development, rapid reskilling and employment through targeted industry sectors and career pathway approaches. Eligible applicants include community colleges that are public institutions of higher education, or consortia, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions. This grant closes on June 2, 2022. Apply for the grant here.

If you have any questions about these grants, contact ogm@dol.gov for general questions or contact the primary point of contact listed on each grant application.

The U.S. Government and Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a study on how CTE programs are supporting learners. Researchers interviewed state education officials in Delaware, Georgia, Ohio and Washington; representatives from eight CTE program providers; 14 stakeholders such as employer partners; and individuals from six national CTE organizations. This blog post summarizes the report’s key findings on funding sources and strategies that states and programs use to assist CTE learners and challenges faced in supporting CTE learners.

Funding Sources and General Support Strategies: In addition to Perkins V grants, the majority of CTE providers interviewed reported using other federal education grants, such as Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants and Adult Education State Grants, to fund programs. Half of providers stated they primarily use state and local education funds to service CTE classrooms and labs. Additionally, a few providers reported utilizing philanthropic donations and other federal grant funding, such as Department of Labor grants, the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technical Education Program and the Department of Defense’s Manufacturing and Engineering Education Program.

CTE providers also employed non-funding strategies to assist CTE learners through the comprehensive local needs assessment and business and industry partnerships, among other methods.

Programmatic Challenges: The report also outlined programmatic challenges to supporting CTE learners. The following are three key areas respondents identified as challenges:

Delivery: Respondents cited major delivery challenges related to limited funding; limited staff capacity, including a lack of racially and ethnically diverse educators; and negative perceptions of CTE. To address these challenges, providers and officials described braiding different sources of funding; recruiting CTE graduates of Tribal schools to return as teachers; and conducting outreach activities to inform parents about the benefits of CTE.

Access: Interviewees also identified access challenges in CTE for work-based learning, mostly due to lack of transportation options; limited social supports, including language barriers; inflexible scheduling; a lack of childcare services; and difficulties accessing aid for postsecondary nondegree programs. Respondents cited efforts to increase student access including hiring a work-based learning coordinator to identify opportunities and transportation options; translating CTE materials into multiple languages; and offering online instruction.

Replication: State officials and CTE providers reported difficulties in identifying and replicating effective CTE program strategies due to a lack of data, particularly longitudinal data that crosses systems, and evidence-based strategies. Some ways interviewees addressed replication challenges include developing a data-sharing partnership with federal and state agencies; creating a postsecondary data system; and researching existing evidence-based strategies that demonstrate positive outcomes for special populations.

The GAO report also outlines ways in which the U.S. Department of Education supports CTE programs. These strategies include administering grants, providing technical assistance, partnering with other federal agencies and expanding research.

Last year, Congress brought back the usage of earmarks, now known as “community project funding” (CPF), to help facilitate bipartisan agreement and speedier passage of federal funding bills. Earmarks are used by Members of Congress to guarantee funding for specific projects or grantees that would benefit their state or district (you can find ACTE’s summary of relevant FY 2022 earmarks here). They cannot exceed 1% of total overall appropriations. The House Appropriations Committee has released CPF guidelines for FY 2023, opening opportunities for CTE programs to submit requests to their Members of Congress.  

While the House deadline for offices to submit CPF requests is April 27th, offices will likely set their own deadlines before that date. Therefore, you should reach out to your representatives as soon as possible to initiate project requests. All project requests must fit a few general rules to be eligible:  

• Cost should be between $100,000 and $2 million, although larger projects may be considered 
• Cannot restrict participants based on race, ethnicity, or gender 
• Cannot be for construction or renovation, except in the case of minor remodeling required as part of a technology upgrade 
• Cannot include multi-year funding  
• Cannot fund any for-profit entities  
• Neither the Member of Congress nor the immediate family can have a financial interest in the proposed project 
• Lobbyists, donors or other affiliated parties or their immediate families cannot have a financial interest in the proposed project 

Within education, the Appropriations Committee is considering CPF requests under the Department of Education’s Innovation and Improvement Fund for K-12 projects and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) for postsecondary projects. Based on committee guidance, they are seeking project requests related to the following areas:  

K-12 Projects 

• Project Areas: instructional services, after-school centers, curricula development, teacher training, acquisition of books and computers, arts education, social and emotional learning activities, and full-service community schools. 
• Eligible Grantees: state education agencies, school districts, colleges and universities, and other public and private nonprofit entities. 

Postsecondary Projects 

• Project Areas: hire and train faculty, establish and improve degree programs, improve teacher preparation programs, develop and improve curricula, upgrade technology and telecommunications, acquire science laboratory equipment, provide student support, implement university partnerships with school districts, and establish research and training centers. 
• Eligible Grantees: usually colleges and universities but may include other public and private nonprofit organizations. 

Additionally, the committee will be collecting requests for the Department of Labor related to the Employment and Training Administration. All Department of Labor projects must provide direct services to individuals to enhance employment opportunities and demonstrate evidence of a linkage with the state or local workforce investment system. 

If you have a project that might be eligible under these guidelines, please reach out to your elected officials in the House and Senate to inquire about their request process. Note that these offices will need a project description of less than 1,000 characters, a budget breakdown of the requested funds, and an explanation of why the project is a good use of taxpayer funds. If you need any assistance with CPF requests or do not know how to get in touch with your representatives, please email Zach Curtis, Manager of Government Relations (zcurtis@acteonline.org) and Alisha Hyslop, Senior Director of Public Policy (ahyslop@acteonline.org).