Bills would increase access to adult and career technical education

Members of the Education Committee heard testimony Feb. 4 on three bills that would increase students’ access to adult and career technical education programs.

LB480, introduced by Omaha Sen. Steve Lathrop, would establish the Nebraska Career Technical Education Grant Program. Administered by the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, the program would provide grants of up to $1,000 to students enrolled in career technical education programs at community colleges.

Lathrop said he introduced the bill because the demand for highly skilled, technical positions significantly outweighs the number of eligible workers.

“We need to grow our workforce,” he said. “When we grow our workforce we need to place an emphasis on creating quality jobs that can be filled with well educated and well trained Nebraskans.”

Under the bill, individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations could donate funds for specific programs at a community college.

Dennis Baack, executive director of the Nebraska Community College Association, supported the bill. He said community colleges are having trouble finding enough students to train for technical positions.

“We’re always looking to get more students involved in critical careers like welding,” Baack said. “If this provides that kind of incentive, that’s great news.”

Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education executive director Marshall Hill testified in a neutral capacity. He said he supports the bill but is unsure of its fiscal impact on the commission.

“We do have experience administering financial aid programs but the details of how this would be administered are vague right now,” he said. “We’re just trying to figure out the fiscal impact on our commission.”

The committee also heard testimony on LB366, introduced by Omaha Sen. Tanya Cook, which would appropriate money from the Education Innovation Fund to help defray the costs associated with new federal guidelines for administering the GED program. Cook said it is important to recognize the difficulty in preparing the adult workforce for new challenges.

“Workers with a high school diploma or GED certificate have both greater employment opportunities and earning potential than those who do not,” she said. “It is vital that we offer easy access to educational opportunities to all citizens of Nebraska.”

Susan Raftery, dean of literacy and workplace skills for Metropolitan Community College, testified in support of the bill. She said providing greater access to diploma equivalency programs is important in a more challenging job market.

“It’s important that we have multiple pathways for students to reach a diploma equivalency,” Raftery said. “We’re seeing a number of people with no technology skills that can be applied in the workforce.”

The committee also considered LB408, introduced by Cedar Rapids Sen. Kate Sullivan, which would move the certification deadline for state aid and budget authority under the Tax Equity and Educational Opportunities Support Act from March 1 to June 1 for the 2013-14 school fiscal year. The certification date would revert back to March 1 for the 2014-15 school year.

No one opposed the bills and the committee took no immediate action on them.