ACTE Endorses JOBS Act in U.S. House of Representatives

November 5, 2015

Last week, Reps. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) introduced the Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act in the House of Representatives – a companion bill to legislation introduced in the Senate to expand Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term training programs. The Pell Grant program is one of the largest sources of needs-based federal financial aid, which provides billions of dollars annually to support students pursuing postsecondary education.

“The JOBS Act takes an important step toward building a workforce that will drive American economic success in the 21st century,” said ACTE Executive Director LeAnn Wilson. “I am proud to voice ACTE’s support for this legislation, and I want to extend my thanks to Reps. Richmond and Lawrence for their efforts. By connecting low-income students with the federal aid that they need to pursue CTE through short-term job training programs, we can give them a jump start on their careers while helping our employers find qualified professionals.”

Under the JOBS Act, CTE programs offered at a postsecondary institution (including area CTE centers and community colleges) that are least 150 clock hours of instruction time over a period of at least 8 weeks and lead to a recognized postsecondary credential would be Pell eligible. It would also help to promote the alignment of the training and education offered through these programs with local and regional workforce needs.