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Posts Tagged ‘Job training’

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Secretary Duncan Commends CTE Center for Narrowing Skills Gap

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

On a visit to Miami Valley Career Technology Center in Ohio last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan commended the school for its “innovation and creativity” in establishing strong connections with local businesses to prepare students for further education and careers. He stated that, “I am in schools two to three times a week all over the country, and I haven’t seen too many places like this.”

The Secretary’s remarks referred to the Center’s efforts to narrow the skills gap by working closely with local employers. One example of this is the strong relationship the school has formed with Caterpillar Logistics, a manufacturing and distribution company. Through collaboration with businesses, the school is able to identify and teach knowledge and skills that are of value to employers, and provide relevant training so that graduates will meet the needs of employers. To date, Caterpillar Logistics has brought on 250 Miami Valley graduates, and plans to take on 250 new hires this year.

Miami Valley’s success is also evident through its nearly 100 percent graduation rate. Many of the school’s graduates continue on to postsecondary education.

Similar achievements and connections to industry can be found in CTE programs across the nation. Beginning in February, stellar CTE programs will be highlighted on the NASDCTEc CTE Success Map. Members can log in and view the Success Map today!

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst 

By admin in News
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White House Council Report Shows Cost of “Opportunity Youth”

Friday, January 13th, 2012

As the nation focuses on economic recovery, relatively little attention is paid to the important transition that takes place for students graduating high school and entering postsecondary education or the workforce. A new report from the White House Council for Community Solutions and the Corporation for National and Community Service, The Economic Value of Opportunity Youth, describes “opportunity youth” as individuals from age 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor part of the workforce. The report calculates the cost of ignoring the almost 7 million opportunity youth across the nation and identifies key areas of investment for reducing this problem.

Opportunity youth are less likely to be employed, often have worse health, and are more likely to take part in criminal activity than their peers. Taxpayers also pay heavily for these youth, who impose an immediate $13,900 per year and a lifetime burden of $170,740 on taxpayers.

Over the summer of 2011, the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds was 18 percent, more than double the national rate. The likelihood of postsecondary degree or credential attainment is equally dismal as only 1 percent of opportunity youth complete at least an Associate degree by age 28, while the national rate is 36 percent.

To address these concerns, the White House report suggests making “cost-effective, targeted investments” to aid these individuals in the transition to postsecondary education or careers. Specifically, the writers suggest more education, better training, and social supports for opportunity youth.

Career Technical Education (CTE) programs across the nation offer the education and training that individuals, including opportunity youth, need to be competitive in today’s labor market. CTE provides high-level knowledge and skills that lead to industry-recognized credentials in high-demand fields.

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst

By admin in Research
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Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series: I LOVE MY JOB!

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Deanna Lewis serves as the Director for Career & Certification Services with the Home Builders Institute (HBI). Prior to joining HBI’s family in 2001, Lewis’ experiences included teaching at the elementary level where she developed a customized curriculum for transitional first grade students; managing the tri-state (Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Delaware) satellite office of the New York Times; and conducting test score interpretation as a consultant for the College Board.

During a recent visit, my plumber said, “I love my job!” as he was patiently answering my hundred and one questions without slowing down on the task at hand (he was getting paid by the hour). He said this before he gave me the bill. I’m sure he was enjoying his job even more as I wrote the check.

His comment, “I love my job,” left an impression on me. I began to wonder what happened to the passion tradesmen and women used to have for their jobs. That sense of excitement about learning plumbing systems or the concept that a carpenter’s work is his or her art. Is that passion still out there?

Will the Workforce be Ready?

It is predicted that by 2014 careers in the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster will start to resume employment levels like those seen in 2007 and will exceed 2007 levels in 2015.[1] Will the industry have a workforce prepared to meet the demands? Carpenters are listed as one of the 30 occupations with the largest employment growth from 2008-18. The profession is categorized as requiring long-term on-the-job training.[2] Are there a sufficient number of trainees to fill the future demand?

Industry Opportunities – Choosing the Right Path

Construction offers opportunities at every level. It is an industry that still has career opportunities following high school. That does not imply that training stops at that point. Instead, it indicates there are still on-the-job training opportunities available. There are also certificate and two-year programs offered at technical schools and community colleges.  For management-level positions, many companies will require a four-year degree.

That being said, it is predicted that overall, 34 percent of the jobs in the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster™ will require at least some postsecondary education and training by 2018.[1] Now is the time to engage youth. Inform them about the educational requirements to be successful in the industry. HBI currently offers a first step to professionalism through its student certification program, which sets the stage for stackable credentials.[4] The National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium (NASDCTEc) also provides information about the Architecture and Construction Career Cluster™ at http://www.careertech.org/career-clusters/landing-pages/architecture.html.

Educators Making a Difference

Career Technical Education (CTE) has programs in nearly 1,300 public high schools and 1,700 two-year-colleges[3]. HBI is a strong supporter of CTE because it meets our members’ needs and helps students, of all ages, become college and career ready so they have a lifetime of success. CTE programs do an excellent job preparing students for the industry opportunities identified above, but it is clear that instructors go far beyond just preparing students to work.

Stan Sluzenski’s students are bound to be on the right path to becoming industry professionals. Sluzenski, a Building Trades Instructor at St. Croix Regional Technical Center in Calais, Maine, utilizes his resources well to help his students gain respect and experience. He said, “As a teacher, I encounter the need for skilled workers from many different sources, including my local advisory board, community members and industry recruiters.”

The Spokane Home Builders Association in Spokane, Washington, is celebrating 31 years of changing lives and building futures. Kim Waseca-Love, Education/Apprenticeship Director captured the spirit of their program when she said, “Carpentry allows us to express our creative spirit.” Waseca-Love goes on to say, “We also know the feeling of accomplishment that we have when we look at our completed work.” She feels the instructors are the apprenticeship program’s key ingredient. “It is because of their qualifications and passion for the trade that our students are able to acquire all the educational opportunities they need to climb as high as they wish on the residential construction industry’s ladder of success.”

Educators such as Sluzenski and Waseca-Love are leading the charge for a knowledgeable workforce by making sure students interested in the construction industry know…

Just as important, though, they are instilling in their students a crucial passion for the work. It takes time to become a skilled professional in the construction industry. Hopefully, there will be many reaching that status who will chime in with the words . . . “I love my job!”

 

The Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series provides advocates – from business and industry, researchers and organizations – an opportunity to articulate their support for Career Technical Education. The monthly series features a guest blogger who provides their perspective on and
experience with CTE as it relates to policy, the economy and education.

Are you interested in being a guest blogger and expressing your support for CTE? Contact Melinda Findley Lloyd, Communications Consultant, at mlloyd@careertech.org.

 

[1] The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, “Career Clusters:  Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs 2008-2018”, Georgetown University, November 2011. http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/clusters-complete-update1.pdf

[2] United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic and Employment Projections Table 7. The 30 fastest-growing occupations, 2008-18, December 2009. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.toc.htm

[3] National Center for Education Statistics.

[4] Home Builders Institute, http://www.hbicertification.org

By admin in Uncategorized
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Department of Labor Announces New Workforce Innovation Fund Grants

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

On December 22, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced the availability of $98.5 million in new Workforce Innovation Fund grants. These grants provide funding for programs that support, evaluate and enhance workforce investment strategies, particularly for vulnerable populations. The three stated goals of the grants are: better results for jobseekers and employers, greater efficiency in the delivery of quality services, and stronger cooperation across programs and funding streams.

Grants will be awarded in one of three categories:

Eligible entities include state workforce agencies, local workforce investment boards, and tribes, tribal consortia, or tribal non-profit organizations that are eligible to apply for WIA Section 166 grants. Grant applications are due March 22, 2012.

More information can be found here.

 

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

 

By admin in Public Policy
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, WIA, Job Training

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Perkins Funding Still in Jeopardy

The continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress last month is set to expire on December 16. Having passed three of the 12 appropriations bills, Congress must now pass the remaining nine bills or another CR. Their goal is to package all nine bills in an omnibus bill and pass it next week. However, if this does not happen, Congress can either pass another short-term CR to buy more time, or include all compromised bills in the omnibus and fund the remaining bills under a year-long CR.

Unfortunately, some of these bills, including Labor-HHS-Education, are so controversial that Congress may choose not work out a deal and instead will fund them under a year-long CR. If this happens, the 1.5% cut applied to Perkins Act advanced appropriations in a previous CR would remain. This would mean that states will not get that money back, and it would set the level for Perkins funding lower for next year. But, if a final Labor-HHS-Education bill is passed and it contains level funding for Perkins, then states will get that money back.

So, the fight is not yet over and we need your help! Call your Member of Congress today and encourage them to work to complete the remaining appropriations bills and to fund the Perkins Act at FY11 levels. You can reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators’ and/or Representative’s office.

Bills Introduced

Workforce Investment Act

House Republicans introduced two bills this week that will serve as the basis for Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization in the House.

Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act

Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC) introduced H.R. 3610, the Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act, which would consolidate 33 of the 47 job training programs identified in a 2011 report by the Government Accountability Office as duplicative into four flexible Workforce Investment Funds. These funds would focus on adults, youth, veterans and special populations. This bill would also require states and locals to set common performance measures for all employment and job training programs.

The Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act also allows states to submit a unified plan encompassing two or more job training and related programs. Both Perkins secondary and postsecondary programs are eligible to be a part of a state’s unified plan.

Local Job Opportunities and Business Success (Local JOBS) Act

Rep. Joe Heck (NV) introduced H.R. 3611, the Local Job Opportunities and Business Success (Local JOBS) Act. The goal of this bill is to ensure that the nation’s job training system can effectively provide workers with the skills necessary to compete in the local workforce. To that end, the bill would require that two-thirds of workforce investment board members be employers; that a portion of resources (as determined by the local WIB) be spent directly on training; and that local boards partner with higher education institutions and economic development organizations to better develop job training programs that address the needs of area businesses.

Bipartisan Jobs Creation Act

Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Claire McCaskill (MO) this week announced the Bipartisan Jobs Creation Act legislation which is aimed at creating jobs by cutting taxes for businesses, investing in transportation infrastructure, and consolidating federal job training programs. The bill would be paid for by a surtax on taxpayers earning more than $1 million per year and ending subsidies for oil companies. This bill includes two areas of interest:

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series: College Ready for Some or Career Ready for All

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Jana Hambruch, an Industry Advisor who provides consulting services for Adobe Systems Incorporated, has more than 18 years of technical certification industry experience in the secondary, postsecondary, and workforce education markets.

For years, educators have been driven to produce “college ready” students through secondary education programs. Yet today, 41% of matriculated high school students do not pursue postsecondary education.[1]  Of the ones who do, less than half actually graduate.[2] These students need to be taught marketable 21st century skills at the secondary level.[3]  

Some existing Career Technical Education (CTE) programs remain centered on vocational skills that were important in the past but find little traction in today’s digital technology driven market. In order to overcome the challenges our nation faces, our workforce must be highly competitive in the global market, and it must remain the leading innovator in the high-tech industries and occupations that dominate our global economy. In order to accomplish this, our education system must adapt to these new demands.

America’s workforce is aging.  Fifty percent of our workforce [3] is close to retirement age, and others lack the skills necessary to truly compete in today’s market. The generation of future workers who are entering high school now will be expected to use technology at the beginning of their careers, in many cases technology that does not even exist today. How do we prepare these students to meet these challenges and take the reins of a digital economy?

Well, to begin with, educators must recognize the paradigm shift from “College Ready for Some” to “Career Ready for All”.

CTE is more important now than ever.

To prepare secondary students to be “Career Ready”, we need to look at what employable and marketable skill sets all students need foundationally to succeed regardless of the profession they desire to be in. These include …

To meet this challenge, educators themselves have begun using a variety of technology based education tools and methods. These include virtual learning environments, blended learning environments, web-based technologies such as blogs, streaming media, social networks and more.

The majority of students who enroll in modern CTE programs that incorporate these learning styles and include a measureable result with an industry certification (Intro to IT, Web Design, Web Development, Digital Design, Gaming Design, TV Production, and Digital Media) are staying in school, graduating, and performing better on state standardized exams. These courses include digital design applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator and Premiere Pro which are engaging and provide a true visual learning
experience that attracts all students. They focus on cognitive and critical thinking skills as a core element of the learning process.

What do the district and school gain?

Adobe has made tremendous strides in providing free online curriculum, teacher and student resources and a nationally recognized industry certification. The industry certification the students achieve is a credential that employers recognize, one which quantifies the skills of the worker and sets them apart. As a result, students entering the workforce have a much better opportunity to earn a livable wage, either while beginning their postsecondary studies or embarking on their career.

More information about the resources available through Adobe can be found online at http://www.adobe.com/education/k12/career-technical-education.edu.html. Programs of Study are also available for the Information Technology Career Clusterâ„¢ at http://www.careertech.org/career-clusters/resources/plans/it.html.

Companies like Adobe have made great strides to understand the value of Career Ready for All!

 

The Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series  provides advocates – from business and industry, researchers and organizations – an opportunity to articulate their support for Career Technical Education. The monthly series features a guest blogger who provides their perspective on and experience with CTE as it relates to policy, the economy and education.

Are you interested in being a guest blogger and expressing your support for CTE? Contact Melinda Findley Lloyd, Communications Consultant, at mlloyd@careertech.org.

 

[1] Harvard Graduate School of Education, “Pathways To Prosperity”, Harvard University,
2011. Web, 12/01/2011. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2011/Pathways_to_Prosperity_Feb2011.pdf

[2] Bowler,Mike. “Dropouts Loom Large For Schools”. U.S. News and World Report. 2009. Web. 12/01/2011. http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2009/08/19/dropouts-loom-large-for-schools

[3] Sturko Grossman,Cheryl. “Preparing WIA Youth for the STEM Workforce”. Youthwork Information Brief. Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Workforce Development, Bureau of Workforce Services. 2008. Web. 12/01/2011. http://jfs.ohio.gov/owd/WorkforceProf/Youth/Docs/Infobrief35_STEM_Workforce_.pdf

By admin in Career Clusters®
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Report: CTE Can Help Address Human Capital Issues

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Career Technical Education (CTE) can help coordinate and maximize the efforts of educational institutions and businesses, which are both working to create systems that prepare students for the demands of an increasingly high-tech and competitive global economy, according to a new joint report written by education and workforce organizations.

Developing Human Capital: Meeting the Growing Global Need for a Skilled and Educated Workforce was written by National Association of Workforce Boards, Association for Career and Technical Education and McGraw-Hill Education.  The report underscores the value of CTE in today’s market and the need to create quality programs by connecting educational institutions with businesses and industry. A well-fused program would poise students of all ages to qualify and compete for high-demand jobs, the report suggests.

“The U.S. and other developed nations need to devote more resources to career and technical education – not just for young people still in school, but even more critically for adults who face barriers to employment due to lack of formal education, English language or other skills,” according to the report.

Erin Uy, Communications and Marketing Manager

By admin in News, Research
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Legislative Update: FERPA, WIA, Race to the Top, ESEA

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Department Releases Final FERPA Regulations

The U.S. Department of Education released its final regulations for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act yesterday after soliciting public comments earlier this year. In a statement released by the Department, they stated that “The regulations announced today will strengthen the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by protecting the safety of student information, increasing the Department’s ability to hold those who misuse or abuse student data accountable and ensuring our taxpayer funds are invested wisely and effectively.”

We are still working through the regulations and will update you on anything that relates to CTE.

NSC Releases State-by-State Impact Analysis of Proposed Cuts to WIA

In their draft Labor-HHS-Education funding bill released last month, the House proposed to cut Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs by more than $1.9 billion for FY12. To help states better understand the impact of these cuts, the National Skills Coalition developed a state-by-state impact analysis of proposed cuts to the WIA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs in FY12. Their analysis finds that as many as 6.5 million jobseekers would lose access to employment and training services if the House funding levels are enacted.

Seven States Apply for Third Round of Race to the Top Grants

As we told you last week, the nine runner-up states in the last round of Race to the Top grants are eligible to apply for the latest round of grants totaling $200 million. The seven states that submitted applications are: Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. South Carolina did not submit an application, and California submitted an incomplete application, according to the Department of Education.

States will now have to submit a budget by December 16 for how they would use the grant and identify which part of their Round 2 application they want funded. The Department will announce the winners by the end of December.

Secretary Duncan Voices Concern about ESEA Draft

In a recent radio interview on Bloomberg EDU, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his concerns with the Senate’s draft ESEA bill. While the Department has been happy with the bipartisan process of crafting the bill, it is not happy with much of the bill’s content, especially teacher evaluation and accountability. However, Duncan hopes that this is just a starting point, and that the bill can be further strengthened:

“There are some good things in the bill, but you don’t want to walk away from accountability, you don’t want to walk away from focusing on achievement gaps, you don’t want to walk away from making sure we’re rewarding great teachers and great principals and shining a spotlight on excellence in education. So you want a good process, but at the end of the day you want really strong policy. And it’s early innings, obviously, in the bill that came out of the Senate HELP committee, and we think it can be strengthened going forward. So I applaud the work that’s gone on so far, clearly not a finished product, but a long way to go.”

 

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

 

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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Friends of CTE Guest Blog: CTE Offers Pathways to High-Demand, High-Skill Jobs

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Nicole Smith is a Senior Economist at The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, co-authored Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs. The report explores what students need to learn and what skills to attain in order to succeed in the economy.

Two views dominate much popular thinking on higher education today. The first view is that Americans are overeducated, underemployed, and that college isn’t worth it. The second view is that the only pathway to the middle class is through a higher education credential. The first view is demonstrably false, but the second view is also too extreme.

The more complex reality is that, while low-skill pathways to the middle class are being placed under increasing pressure by advancements in technology, those pathways still exist — just at a much lesser extent than they used to. This does not mean that anyone should be satisfied with a high school diploma if there is an opportunity for further education. The data clearly show that college pays off in the long run in the form of higher wages, better jobs, and a wider opportunity to achieve the American dream. But those who cannot, for whatever reason, go beyond high school should not give up hope. Career Technical Education (CTE) offers opportunities to these students through developed career pathways that begin the grooming process in high school, preparing them for distinct high-wage, high-demand, high-skill jobs.

Over the last 40 years, our economy has seen enormous change in what the labor market demands of job seekers. In 1972, 72 percent of all jobs required a high school diploma or less along with some on-the-job training. By 2018, that number will drop to 37 percent. Of those 37 percent, one in three jobs will offer salaries of $35,000 or more. So, while the old days of using a high school diploma as a ticket to the middle class are clearly over, there are and will be middle class citizens who did not attend college.

What are these jobs and who benefits? A few highlights from our Career Clusters â„¢ study are listed below:

The labor market demand for workers with higher education is increasing, but we should not forget altogether the workers who do not need a higher education credential to access the middle class and the American dream. We need to inform decision makers, institutions and individuals about the best ways to select the education and training required to achieve their educational goal.  Career Clusters: Forecasting Demand for High School through College Jobs is a first step in that direction that answers the question:  “Is it worth it? What can I expect for my career choice today and long term? And what are the prospects in my state?

 

The Friends of CTE Guest Blog Series  provides advocates – from business and industry, the research community and organizations – an opportunity to articulate their support for Career Technical Education. The monthly series features a guest blogger who provides their perspective on and experience with CTE as it relates to policy, the economy and education.

Are you interested in being a guest blogger and expressing your support for CTE? Contact Melinda Findley Lloyd, Communications Consultant, at mlloyd@careertech.org.

By admin in News
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, Research Hearing, Bills Introduced

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Congress Passes Temporary Spending Bill

The House and Senate passed a spending package that includes a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund the government through December 16, 2011. The bill also includes a “minibus” spending package of three appropriations bills – Agriculture, Transportation-HUD, and Commerce-Science-Justice – funded through the end of the fiscal year. House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers (KY) has said that he intends package the remaining nine appropriations bills into a single omnibus bill, which would include the Labor-HHS-Education bill.

While the new CR does not restore the 1.5% cut to Perkins from the previous CR, we have learned from the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Education that if the final spending bill does not include language regarding reductions to advanced appropriations, then the 1.5% cut enacted in October will be restored to states.

Because the restoration of the 1.5% is not a done deal, we urge you call your Member of Congress today to make sure they are aware of the situation and they act to restore these funds to Perkins.

House Hearing on Education Research

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing to examine the federal role in education research. The purpose of the hearing – “Education Research: Identifying Effective Programs to Support Students and Teachers” – was to ensure that education research is beneficial to parents, teachers, and students. Some of the topics discussed by witnesses included: connecting data across learner levels, using education research in a way that benefits students, and creating incentives for teachers and schools that incorporate research-backed methods into their work.

Bills Introduced

Pathways Back to Work

On Monday, Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced the Pathways Back to Work Act which would enact the portions of President Obama’s American Jobs Act that provide employment opportunities and skills training for the unemployed. The Pathways Back to Work Act focuses on three area:

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

 

 

By admin in Legislation
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