ICR « Advance CTE Blog

ED Extends Comment Period for Perkins ICR | Legislative Update

Friday, October 11th, 2024

This week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it would extend the deadline for one of the components of a recent regulatory proposal impacting the implementation of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) in response to a formal request made by Advance CTE and partners. Elsewhere, Congress has remained on recess ahead of the upcoming November elections while the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) makes preparations for National Apprenticeship Week and announces new grant opportunities.

ED Modifies Comment Deadline for Perkins V ICR

This morning, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it would extend the public comment period for a recently proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) with significant implications for the implementation of Perkins V. The two-week comment period extension will apply to feedback responses to proposed changes to Perkins V’s Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) while the existing deadline for comments related to the State Plan Guide component of this ICR remain unchanged and are still due November 12, 2024. This announcement comes in response to Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education’s (ACTE) formal request for an extension made in recent weeks. In addition, ED’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) hosted two town halls last week, providing further details regarding these proposed ICRs. Notably, ED confirmed during these events that every state and territory would be required to undergo a new comprehensive planning process required by Perkins V regardless of whether a state submits a new or amended state plan by program year 2026.

Congress Remains on Recess Amid Storm Damage

Capitol Hill remains in recess this week as the November elections draw closer. Over the last few weeks, severe storms have significantly impacted several states. Due to these circumstances, there has been increasing pressure for Congress to potentially reconvene, prior to the upcoming elections, to provide supplemental emergency funding for states impacted by these weather events. A bipartisan group of Senators recently sent a letter highlighting this need, and similar efforts are underway in the House.

Despite this mounting pressure, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has thus far resisted calls to reconvene. The need to provide funding in response to these latest hurricanes is widely expected to impact future negotiations for long-term funding for federal programs, like Perkins V’s state grant program, for the current 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25). As a reminder, current funding—recently extended by a continuing resolution (CR) passed by Congress late last month—is set to expire on December 20, 2024. Advance CTE will continue to advocate for a robust investment in CTE via Perkins V as the FY25 process progresses.

Department of Labor Continued Federal Support for Apprenticeship Programs

This week, the Department of Labor shared details for the 10th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), a week dedicated to celebrating 10 Years of Engagement, Expansion, and Innovation of impacting lives through apprenticeship programs. Spanning the week of November 17th through 23rd, the 2024 celebration features daily themes with ways to get involved listed on Labor’s NAW Fact Sheet. Advance CTE looks forward to celebrating Career Technical Education’s critical role and connection to apprenticeships later this fall.

DOL also shared a list of resources for outreach to businesses to support apprenticeship investment and implementation. A related list has links to federal, state, and industry-specific resources for outreach anywhere on the continuum of strategic partnership. The Department also conducted a series of Industry Focus Calls throughout the summer to support state grantees in expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) to meet employers’ needs. The 2024 calls shared best practices and successes for launching RAPs in education, the public sector, green energy, and mental and behavioral healthcare. The calls and resources dating back to 2019 can be accessed here.

Earlier this fall, the Biden-Harris administration issued an executive order related to Investing in America and Investing in American Workers that highlights the importance of prioritizing federally funded projects that prioritize workforce development efforts, including the availability of career pathways and RAPs.

Department of Labor Grants Available for Work-Based Learning for Underserved Youth

The Department of Labor announced a fifth round of Workforce Pathways for Youth grants, authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), available for out-of-school organizations that engage underserved youth ages 14 to 21. The grants are intended to help organizations introduce career-related services, work-based learning opportunities, and occupational skills training. Applications are open until December 3rd, 2024, and eligibility requirements are listed on the application page. Read more about Workforce Pathways for Youth, previous program recipients, and other resources here.

Rob Young, Communications & Advocacy Associate

Steve Voytek, Policy Advisor

By Rob Young in Public Policy
Tags: Apprenticeships, appropriations, Biden Administration, CAR data, Continuing Resolution, Department of Education, Department of Labor, ICR, OCTAE, Perkins V, Registered Apprenticeship, State Plans, WIOA

Perkins V ICR Comment Extension Requested as Congress Passes FY25 Funding Measure | Legislative Update

Friday, September 27th, 2024

This week, Advance CTE and partners formally requested an extension of the comment period for a recent U.S. Department of Education (ED) proposal impacting state and local Career Technical Education (CTE) systems. In addition, Congress passed a highly-anticipated extension of federal funding ahead of an important deadline while the House and Senate examined issues related to Artificial Intelligence and teacher preparation.

Advance CTE Requests ICR Comment Extension

As Advance CTE has shared previously, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has recently proposed significant changes impacting planning and reporting requirements stemming from the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). As states and the CTE community have continued to review these proposals, a supporting document related to the Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) was recently updated by ED, reflecting substantial new changes proposed as part of this new Information Collection Request (ICR). Given ED is seeking thoughtful and meaningful feedback from the CTE community, Advance CTE and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) have formally requested a 30-day extension of the underlying comment period. We encourage other stakeholders to emphasize to ED directly the importance of providing adequate time through this comment period for the CTE field to review these substantial changes to Perkins V implementation.

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution and Adjourns Until Mid-November

Late Wednesday evening, Congress passed a three-month extension of fiscal year 2024 federal funding—just a few days before the formal start of the 2025 federal fiscal year (FY25) was set to begin on October 1. The extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), provides lawmakers additional time to focus on campaigning for the fast-approaching November elections. The expiration of the CR on December 20, near the end of Congress’ upcoming “lame duck” session, also provides more time for lawmakers to negotiate a compromise on a full-year FY25 funding bill during this last stretch of the 118th Congress.

In the meantime, education and workforce development programs like Perkins V’s state grant program will be supported at the same FY24 funding levels for this period. Shortly after the passage of the CR, which cleared both chambers on a wide bipartisan basis, Congress formally recessed, with lawmakers expected to return on November 15. Advance CTE will continue to advocate for a strengthened investment in CTE made via Perkins V as this process moves forward later this year.

Senate HELP Subcommittee Discusses AI and Workforce

This week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, led by Sens. Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Braun (R-IN), convened a hearing to discuss the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for workers and efforts to prepare them for the future. The panel questioned an array of witnesses about AI’s growth and the workforce’s changing nature. Panel members, AI industry leaders, an economist from LinkedIn, and a human resources director spoke about the importance of thoughtful guard rails and regulatory frameworks needed for industry leaders to support responsible AI development.

Witnesses highlighted the need for a changing workforce to be highly-skilled in an emerging field and how community and technical colleges, in particular, can help equip learners with the skills needed for future success in the emerging era of AI. Sen. Kaine (D-VA) specifically highlighted the importance of expanding federal Pell Grant eligibility for shorter-term CTE programs as a key strategy to help support workers and learners in the future as AI technologies continue to evolve and impact many facets of daily life.

More on the hearing, including witness testimony and an archived webcast

House Examines Teacher Preparation Efforts

On Wednesday, the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled “Innovative Teacher Preparation: Properly Equipping America’s Educators.” The subcommittee hearing, led by Chair Bean (R-FL) and Ranking Member Bonamici (D-OR), focused on persistent teacher shortages facing schools and communities across the nation and examined ways to prepare teachers for entry into the workforce more effectively. In particular, Rep. Bonamici highlighted the important role that CTE programs can play in these efforts, while witnesses discussed how teacher preparation efforts should also be sure to incorporate CTE educators. Opening statements, witness testimony, and more related to the hearing can be found here.

Advance CTE has continued to focus on these efforts, and more to prepare the CTE educator workforce needed for today and tomorrow: