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Posts Tagged ‘postsecondary’

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Budget Level Funds Perkins; Invests in Career Academies and Community Colleges

Monday, February 13th, 2012

President Obama released his FY13 budget today, and there is good news for CTE! The President proposed level funding for the Perkins Basic State Grants, and plans to release a reauthorization proposal that “would restructure CTE to align what students learn in school with the demands of 21st Century jobs.” While the budget does not include specifics about what this proposal will look like, a budget summary released by the Department of Education states that their proposal would increase the rigor and relevance of CTE and strengthen connections between secondary and postsecondary education. In addition to Perkins Act funding, the budget proposes an investment of $1 billion over three years to scale up career academies.

Some other highlights of the budget that may be of interest:

We are continuing to analyze the budget, and will update you on any additional information that could impact CTE.

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Public Policy
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CTE in the News: Maine Governor Proposes Expansion of CTE, Education Reform

Friday, February 10th, 2012

As part of a string of education proposals intended to provide the broadest scope of opportunities for students, Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s is pitching a plan to enhance Career Technical Education (CTE), according to a recent Morning Sentinel article.

The governor’s proposed legislation calls for better articulation between CTE Centers, and high schools and community colleges, to ensure that students earn academic credits and workforce credentials that are transferable. His CTE proposal is outlined as follows:

An Act to Enhance Career and Technical Education

The legislation suggests that the governor recognizes how CTE can serve as a pipeline for high school students as they enter college and for college students as they step into the workforce, which has heightened standards for higher education and nationally portable credential.

Erin Uy, Communications and Marketing Manager

By admin in News, Public Policy
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Center for American Progress Proposal Targets Perkins Funding

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently issued a brief, Building a Technically Skilled Workforce, which reminds us that in order for the United States to remain a leader in the global economy, we must ensure that workers have the education and skills to be successful in emerging and high-growth industries.

We agree, and we believe that CTE will play a vital role in preparing our workforce for the future. However, we do not agree with CAP’s proposed use of Perkins Act funding to meet this goal.

In the brief, CAP recommends that a “Community College and Industry Partnership Grant” program should be established to encourage partnerships between community colleges, and business and industry. These partnerships would in turn result in programs that provide credentials which are directly linked to current job requirements and respond to future job openings. CAP proposes that the grants be paid for with postsecondary Perkins Act funding. NASDCTEc believes that, among other things, doing so would hinder the progress the CTE community has made in linking secondary and postsecondary education, a goal reinforced by the Perkins Act.

This proposal is just that – a proposal, and holds no weight in terms of actual legislative authority. However, as reauthorization draws near, we will likely have to fend off proposals like this one that targets the use of Perkins funds

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Public Policy
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CTE Month: Tell the Nation that CTE Works

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

Share the CTE: Learning that works for America â„¢ video

CTE is working across the nation to enable students of all ages to excel in their schools and colleges, and secure high-demand jobs. NASDCTEc has created a video that represents the rich and diverse brand of CTE. It highlights students of a range of talents, backgrounds and ages, and in a mix of industries in which CTE helps student succeed. 

 Let people know that CTE works!

Through February, NASDCTEc will provide members and CTE advocates with resources and simple ways to recognize CTE Month. Take the time to raise awareness and support the entire CTE community!  Visit www.careertech.org for free CTE: Learning that works for America tools.

By admin in Uncategorized
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CTE in the News: Kansas Governor’s Road Map for Education Includes CTE

Friday, January 27th, 2012

As part of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s Road Map for Kansas, he proposes a new method of funding for CTE, which involves paying for full tuition of high school students enrolled in a CTE course/program in a community college or technical school, according to KWHC, a local Kansas news station that highlighted the announcement.

The CTE funding proposal is part of a strategy to meet the Governor’s goal of increasing the percentage of students who are career and college ready upon high school graduation. Currently, CTE is funding through a .5 weighted system among districts. The new funding plan will have the Kansas Department of Education instead distribute money to school districts based on enrollment in technical programs, noted Jon Hummell, Director of Operations, Office of the Governor.
Further, funding will provide to the Kansas Board of Regents to pay the tuition for high school students enrolled in a CTE course/program at a community college or technical college, KWHC said.

Hummell outlined other details of the plan, which include:

Erin Uy, Communications and Marketing Manager

By admin in News, Public Policy
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President Focuses on Education and Skills Training in State of the Union

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

In his State of the Union address last night President Obama called keeping the middle class alive “the defining issue of our time.” Throughout his speech, he set out proposals to foster an economy “built to last” predicated on education, a skilled workforce, high-paying jobs, energy independence and fairness that would help bolster the middle class.

The President highlighted the skills gap that exists in industries such as manufacturing, information technology and clean energy: “Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job.” In an effort to solve this problem, he called for a national commitment to train two million individuals with the skills they need to land a job, with a focus on partnerships between businesses and community colleges. The President is scheduled to release his FY13 budget on February 13. We hope that his commitment to address the skills gap and provide resources for unemployed individuals will be reflected in his proposal for Perkins Act funding.

President Obama also focused on the current job training system, saying that he wants “to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people…have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need.” His hope is that streamlining the system will get people back to work more quickly in the jobs that exist today, and better prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. While he does not mention the Workforce Investment Act specifically, the program has been due for reauthorization since 2003 and has been top priority for the both the House and the Senate this session. Given the President’s mention of the workforce system, we are hopeful that this signals a desire to reauthorize WIA in the coming year.

The President also touched on other education issues such as high school dropouts, calling on states to require students to stay in school until graduation or until they turn 18. In terms of college access and affordability, the President urged Congress to keep student interest rates low and extend the tuition tax credit. He also asked institutions of higher education to keep costs down and was blunt in his commitment to making postsecondary education more affordable, saying, “If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down.”

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Legislation, Public Policy
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CTE in the News: HISD looking to help graduates land jobs

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Houston Independent School District unveiled a $4 million proposal aimed at helping secondary students land jobs in the refining and global transportation industries, which are experiencing growth in the city, according to a recent Houston Chronicle article.

HISD plans to launch “intensive career training programs” at five high schools next year. Those programs would put students on a path to earn an industry certification in a trade and an associate’s degree from Houston Community College.

“Nationally there’s a lot of talk about college and career readiness, but college is what’s emphasized,” said Alisha Hyslop, an assistant director at the Association for Career and Technical Education, in the article. “This effort really seems to blend both in a seamless manner.”

Erin Uy, Communications and Marketing Manager

By admin in News
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Department of Education Seeks Input on Strategic Plan

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

The Department of Education has posted its draft strategic plan for Fiscal Years 2011 to 2014 on its website for public comment.  The Department’s goals fall into six categories:

  1. Postsecondary Education, Career-Technical Education, and Adult Education
  2. Elementary and Secondary Education
  3. Early Learning
  4. Equity
  5. Continuous Improvement of the U.S. Education System
  6. U.S. Department of Education Capacity

 

The draft plan can be found here: www.ed.gov/about/reports/strat/index.html. You may submit comments between January 13-27, 2012 to [email protected].

 

Nancy Conneely, Public Policy Manager

By admin in Public Policy
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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 [email protected].

 

[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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CTE in the News: Demand There, but Tech Classes Cut

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Minnesota has cut more than half of its career and technical education (CTE) course offerings in recent years despite growing demand, according to a recent Star Tribune article.

The number of CTE classes has fallen from about 2,750 to 1,200 between 2008 and 2011, despite an “unprecedented rate” of CTE enrollments, the article said. The conflict between demand and supply is a result of a range of various funding issues – from climbing prices of college to shifts of state funding priorities — that have chipped away at the state’s funding for CTE.

“The cuts are because of flat state and federal funding as well as changing priorities that have school districts focusing on core classes in an effort to meet No Child Left Behind standards,” the article noted. Further, the article noted that CTE courses are usually the first to go when a superintendent is aiming to save money.

The state’s secondary schools and postsecondary institutions have been working on the demand issue. Since 2009, 26 community colleges and area school districts have created consortiums to efficiently use limited funds and collaborate CTE classes. Five CTE high schools remain statewide.

By admin in News
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