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Posts Tagged ‘career pathways’

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Adult Career Pathways Training and Support Center Provides Online Assistance

Friday, September 28th, 2012

The Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), Division of Adult Education and Literacy funds initiatives to advance adult education and to improve teacher quality. The Division is responsible for ensuring the continuous improvement of programs enabling adults to acquire the basic skills necessary to function in today’s society so that they can benefit from the completion of secondary school, enhanced family life, attaining citizenship, and participating in job training and retraining programs.

One of these initiatives is the Adult Career Pathways Training and Support Center.
The Adult Career Pathways Training and Support Center (ACP-SC) provides access to resources and professional development opportunities designed to support adult education practitioners interested in developing, designing, and enhancing Adult Career Pathways.

The National Career Clustersâ„¢ Framework is comprised of 16 Career Clustersâ„¢ and related Career Pathways to help students explore different career options and better prepare for college and career. The Career Clustersâ„¢ and related Career Pathways serve as an organizing tool for schools, small learning communities, academies and magnet schools to develop more effective programs of study and curriculum.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

By admin in Resources
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Wisconsin State Director Dan Clancy Retires

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

Dan Clancy has retired as State Director, effective September 14, 2012. Clancy’s service follows a 16-year tenure at the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), including the past 8 years as system President. NASDCTEc thanks Clancy for his contributions toward WTCS initiatives that are helping to move Wisconsin forward including work on Wisconsin Career Pathways, and for his leadership as a State Director.

Serving as Interim State Director is Kathleen Cullen, Vice President of Teaching and Learning, also at the Wisconsin Technical College System. NASDCTEc welcomes Kathleen. She can be reached at [email protected].

More information:

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

By admin in Advance CTE Announcements, Advance CTE State Director
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Legislative Update: Appropriations

Friday, June 15th, 2012

Perkins Level Funded in Senate Spending Bill

This week the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education marked up their FY13 appropriation bill, which allocated approximately $158 billion to be divided up among its programs, including the Perkins Act. We are happy to report that Perkins was level funded. Given threats to non-defense discretionary programs from sequestration and other budget proposals, we think that level funding is a victory. Thank you to all of you who made outreach to your Senators! Hearing from constituents really can make a difference.

The full Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Labor-HHS-Education bill yesterday by a party-line vote of 16-14. The bill proposes to change the name of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education to the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. In order for this to happen the House would also have to propose such a change in their bill or agree to the change in conference.

During the mark up the full Committee approved an amendment to restore Pell grant eligibility for Ability to Benefit (ATB) students participating in career pathway programs. Pell eligibility for ATB students was eliminated in the FY12 appropriations bill.

Contact Your Representative Today to Maintain Perkins Act Funding!

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee Chairman Denny Rehberg (MT) previously stated that his subcommittee would not mark up their appropriations bill until after the Supreme Court ruled on the Affordable Care Act. We are now hearing that he plans to mark up their bill on June 20th.

If your Representative is a member of the Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee, we urge you contact them today and ask that they maintain Perkins Act funding. Because the House’s allocation for education and labor programs is lower than that of the Senate, it is even more important that House members hear from constituents about the importance of Perkins and CTE in helping to prepare students for jobs that remain unfilled, and in turning around the economy. There is a greater possibility that Perkins could be cut in this  House bill.

House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee members:

Call Your Member of Congress TODAY!

If you have any questions or to update NASDCTEc on your contact with Congress, please call Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager, at 301-588-9630 or email her at [email protected]

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: House Committee Passes WIA Reauth Bill

Friday, June 8th, 2012

The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a markup of H.R. 4297, the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 yesterday. The bill represents large scale changes to the current WIA program. The bill was approved by a party line vote of 23 to 15. There is no word on when the bill will go to the floor.

The bill proposes to consolidate approximately 30 existing workforce and training programs into a single, flexible Workforce Investment Fund, and it would give Governors the power to consolidate even more programs under a unified state plan. The bill would also require states and locals to use common performance measures for all workforce development programs.

As we previously reported, an earlier bill introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC), which was merged into H.R. 4297, allowed states to submit a unified state plan encompassing two or more job training and related programs, including both Perkins secondary and postsecondary programs. Under Foxx’s bill, Perkins funds would have been eligible to be consolidated into a Workforce Investment Fund and used for workforce activities. After hearing from the CTE community, new language was added to the Workforce Investment Improvement Act that singles out Perkins as one program whose funds cannot be consolidated into the Workforce Investment Fund.

The Workforce Investment Improvement Act also proposes changes to the Job Corps program to ensure that CTE and job training offered under that program is focused on in-demand occupations and that disadvantaged youth receive a regular high school diploma and/or a postsecondary credential that prepares them for employment.

Democrats on the Committee are not supportive of the bill, and offered a substitute bill as an amendment. Their bill focused on career pathways in high demand industries that lead to industry recognized credentials and postsecondary attainment. It would also expand the role of community colleges in job training. The Democrats’ amendment was voted down along party lines.

A summary of H.R. 4297 can be found here.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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Legislative Update: Appropriations, WIA, Career Pathways

Friday, April 20th, 2012

The Department of Education released their Perkins reauthorization blueprint yesterday. See our previous blog entry and statement here.

Senate Sets Spending Levels for Subcommittees

This week the Senate Appropriations Committee released their 302(b) allocations, or spending levels, for each of the 12 subcommittees. In the Senate, they are using as their top line number the cap set by the Budget Control Act — $1.047 trillion. The Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee would receive $157.722 billion to divide up among its programs, including the Perkins Act. The House is expected to release its 302(b) allocations next.

House Holds WIA Hearing

The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a legislative hearing this week on H.R. 4297, the “Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012.” The hearing provided members an opportunity to discuss and gather expert feedback on the legislation. Among other things, this bill would consolidate 27existing workforce related programs into one flexible job training program, require the makeup of WIBs to be two-thirds employers, and require States to adopt common performance measures.

DOL Releases Career Pathways Resources

The Employment and Training Administration at the Department of Labor released technical assistance resources for the Career Pathways Initiative. The Career Pathways Initiative was launched in June 2010 to increase credential attainment and improve access to training opportunities for disadvantaged individuals. The new resources can be found here.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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House Democrats Introduce Alternative WIA Bill

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

Democratic members of the House Education and Workforce introduced their version of Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization this week. The bill, introduced by Reps. Ruben Hinojosa (TX), George Miller (CA), and John Tierney (MA), is similar to a draft WIA bill circulated in the Senate last summer. This bill is also considered an alternative to Republican WIA bills, such as Rep. Virginia Foxx’s (NC) Streamlining Workforce Development Programs Act.

The Democratic bill focuses on a number of issues raised in NASDCTEc’s WIA reauthorization recommendations, including sector-based strategies, adult career pathways, direct contracting with community colleges, common measures, and One Stop infrastructure funding. More information on the bill can be found here.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation
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Rhode Island Expands Student Access to Career Technical Education Programs

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

New regulations on Career Technical Education (CTE) opportunities are planned to go into effect July for students to learn CTE skills aligned with industry standards, and enable students to earn credentials that will prepare them for postsecondary education and training programs for entry into challenging careers.

According to the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Department of Education News Release, the Board of regents for Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously approved the regulations. Citing George D. Caruolo, Chairman of the Board of Regents, “A high-quality system of career-technical education is vital to the future of Rhode Island. One of our priorities on the Board of Regents is to make sure that career-preparation programs have the resources they need and that all students in our state have access to programs that will prepare them to enter the workforce – particularly in areas that will drive our economy in the 21st century.”

The purpose of the regulations are to establish a comprehensive and coherent Career and Technical Education System (CTE System) that provides students exposure to the world of work; offers students the opportunity to learn rigorous technical and career-based skills that are aligned to industry standards, and through the earning of credentials, prepare students for a seamless transition to postsecondary education and training programs and/or careers.

The regulations also say that the CTE System “Shall forge and maintain partnerships with higher education, technical training programs, workforce and economic development initiatives, and regional business and industry. Through these partnerships, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) will promote and systemically manage career pathways in critical and emerging industries and provide education and training programs that are responsive to the needs of students, business, industry and the regional economy.”

Elements of the CTE System include:

Programs of study provide successful student transitions between secondary and postsecondary education. Learn more about programs of study and career pathways on our Web site at www.careertech.org.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

By admin in Career Clusters®, News
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New National Campaign Launches, Calls for Greater Investments in the Nation’s Workforce

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

NASDCTEc is excited to announce the launch of the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce (CIAW), a national effort calling for greater and more effective federal investments in our nation’s skills so more U.S. businesses can find the skilled workers they need to compete globally, and so all U.S. workers can share in and contribute to our country’s economic prosperity.

Comprised of over 35 national organizations, the Campaign calls on Congress and the Administration to commit to investing—more broadly and more effectively—in the skills of America’s workforce so that more people can develop the market-ready skills to meet the needs of U.S. industries and the larger U.S. economy.

Co-convened by National Skills Coalition and Jobs for The Future, the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce was developed in response to the ongoing threat to the existence of workforce training and education programs that are critical to putting Americans back to work. Together we challenge policymakers to win the global skills race by investing comprehensively across targeted programs in order to strengthen our nation’s ability to compete in the global economy, help U.S. businesses grow and create jobs, support and leverage community resources, and help everyone to contribute to and share in our national prosperity.

NASDCTEc is proud to be a member of the Campaign to Invest in America’s Workforce and we hope that you will join our call for greater and more effective federal investments in our nation’s workforce.

Learn more about the Campaign and what you can do to help spread the word.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

 

By admin in News, Public Policy
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General Registration Set to Go Live January 23 for the 2012 National Career Clustersâ„¢ Institute

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Mark your calendars for the 2012 National Career Clustersâ„¢ Institute June 17-20, 2012 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in beautiful Washington, DC.

Setting a New Standard is the theme of this exciting event, which brings together educators from middle school, secondary, and postsecondary levels, school counseling, state education leadership, along with workforce development, business and industry experts, and economic development representatives to gain insight, hear strategies, and plan efforts for coordinating the implementation of aligned educational delivery in communities and states.

Highlights for the 10th National Career Clustersâ„¢ Institute include:

Beautiful Omni Shoreham Hotel, located in the heart of DC

The legendary Omni Shoreham is the location for the Institute. You can make your reservations online NOW .

Room at Omni Shoreham

For more information, go to the Institute Main Information Page on the www.careertech.org Web site.

Ramona Schescke, Member Services Manager

By admin in Uncategorized
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Report: Economic Benefits of Increasing Community College Graduation Rates in New York and Nationally

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

According to a new report, New York City and state could see an economic boost of $71 million dollars in just one year if six area community colleges increased their graduation rates by ten percent.

The report, released by the Center for an Urban Future, a New York City think-tank, states that the country’s five most populous cities – Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Houston, and Chicago – all have four-year community college graduation rates of 20 percent or less. In New York City, only 28 percent of community college students earn an associate or bachelor’s degree within 6 years of enrolling, only slightly higher than the national average of 26 percent.

The authors of the report estimate that increasing the number of community college graduates who entered in 2009 would result in a $71 million boost for New York City and the state of New York, with a $16 million increase in annual earnings (including $2.1 million in taxes paid out to the city and state ), $28.5 million increase in economic activity due to graduate spending, and $26.5 million in taxpayer dollars going towards college graduates rather than college dropouts.

Despite distinctive and sometimes challenging features of community colleges, such as open admission policies and high remediation rates, the institutions have options for increasing graduation rates. The report makes several recommendations for improvement, including suggestions that are already being implemented by many postsecondary institutions that offer Career Technical Education (CTE). These include building partnerships among the private sector and education and training entities to develop career pathways. Additionally, the report encourages the development of a statewide articulation and transfer system, which would also “create a platform for supporting dual enrollment and early college high school, as well as articulation between non-credit certificate programs and associate-level programs.”

In addition to the economic benefits received by the community, employers and graduates would also benefit from increased community college graduation rates; employers would benefit from the larger pool of qualified workers, and graduates would raise their earning potential with a  2-year credential or certificate.

Read the full report here.

Kara Herbertson, Education Policy Analyst

 

By admin in News, Research
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