More funds proposed for career education

The Education Committee heard testimony Feb. 18 on a bill that would provide increased funding for high school career education programs.

LB754, introduced by Papillion Sen. Jim Smith, would authorize the state Department of Education to award grants to improve career education programs. Smith said it is important to promote the trades in education.

“We have a great need in our state for young people to choose the trades as a career path,” he said. “This bill provides the resources for them to make that decision more easily.”

The bill would allocate an additional $1 million from the Education Innovation Fund for fiscal year 2014-15 and FY2015-16. The department would award grants to assist schools in evaluating and improving career education programs. Specifically, the schools would be charged with aligning programs with the state’s economic and workforce needs.

Richard Baier of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce supported the bill, saying the state’s unemployment rate is both a blessing and a curse.

“Most of our people are working but our employers are having a hard time finding people to fill jobs,” Baier said. “This [bill] would leverage state resources and better prepare our students for the careers and opportunities that face them in the future.”

Rich Katt, director of career education at the state Department of Education, also testified in support of LB754. He said student employment is at its lowest level since World War II.

“A lot of students don’t have exposure to the world of work until they graduate,” he said. “We know it’s important that students get that exposure to work early on.”

No one testified in opposition to the bill and the committee took no immediate action on it.