During the campaign, President-elect Biden issued two detailed education plans. Of special interest to the MSSC Community is that both strongly endorse the expanded use of industry credentials.
Biden Plan for Educators, Students, and Our Future – This 8-page document includes the following language on industry credentials: The Biden Administration will invest in school vocational training and partnerships between high schools, community colleges, and employers. These partnerships will create programs that allow students to earn an industry credential upon high school graduation, a credential that readies them for a good-paying career…Create more opportunities for high school students to take practical classes that lead to credentials. Biden will invest in and allow Pell grants to be used for dual enrollment programs, so high school students can take classes at a community college and earn college credits or a credential prior to graduating from high school.
Biden Plan for Education Beyond High School – The opening two paragraphs of this 11-page document cite the high importance of students earning an industry-recognizedcredential or degree after high school. This Plan commits to a $50 billion investment in “high-quality” training programs.
These funds “will create and support partnerships between community colleges, businesses, unions, state, local, and tribal governments, universities, and high schools to identify in-demand knowledge and skills in a community and develop or modernize training programs-which could be as short as a few months or as long as two years-that lead to a relevant, high-demand industry-recognized credential.
Community News
Register Now! MSSC Next Generation Workforce Certification Webinar Series Featuring the Certified Technician-Supply Chain Automation Certification & the Skill Boss Logistics Device
There is still time to register and tune in to our series of informational webinars, hosted by your states MSSC Training Solution Provider focused on the newly-released MSSC Certified Technician-Supply Chain Automation (CT-SCA) Certification Program & the Skill Boss Logistics Hands-On Training and Assessment device. The goal of this new certification program is to prepare technicians who install, operate, support, upgrade, and maintain the automated material handling equipment and systems which support the supply chain.
Our organization continues to be impressed by the enthusiasm and engagement of our community of MSSC Centers who have participated in each of these webinars over the past month. We look forward to continuing the conversation and answering your questions.
A special acknowledgement to our MSSC Training Solution Provider Companies who have hosted these webinars so far include Lab Midwest, Tech-Lab Systems, Allegheny Educational Systems, Technical Training Aids, D.C. Jaeger, Sivad Inc., Aidex Corporation/Buckeye Educational Systems, Moss Enterprises, and Amtek Company. If you are based in any of the states that these companies oversee you can visit our website to view the recorded webinars.
This week we are looking forward to the webinars hosted by the following providers!
Technical Education Products –Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Date: November 18, 2020
Time: 11 am Eastern
Click here to Register
Klein Educational Systems – Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington
Date: November 18, 2020
Time: 2 pm Pacific
Click here to Register
Policy & Trends
The State of Career Technical Education: An Analysis of States’ Perkins V Priorities
Advance CTE released this first of its kind report providing a cross-state analysis and recognition of the strategic decisions CTE leaders have made to advance high-quality CTE programs while increasing access and equity for each learner in their state, showcasing how many states have gone above and beyond the law’s requirements. View the analysis here.
How COVID-19 is Impacting Young People’s Academic and Career Plans
The Goodwin Simon Strategic Research has released results of its study on the pandemic’s impact on Black and Latinx youth and youth from low-income families. More than half of these respondents say they value college differently now, with 28 percent reporting that they used to think college would be worth it but now think college is not worth it. Additionally, 43 percent of these respondents said they felt clear about their future goals, compared to 27 percent in 2020 – a drop of 16 percentage points. Follow this link to read more.
CTE’s Role in the Future of Work and our Economic RecoveryNov5
As the economy and labor market continue to evolve in response to COVID-19, there are many open questions about our nation’s economic recovery, including what work will look like in the future, what jobs will or will not come back, and which learners most need support going forward. What is certain is that the economy will look different on the other side of the recovery and that communities of color have been most negatively impacted in the short term. View recorded webinar on this topic by following this link.
OECD Education at a Glance 2020
The OECD published its annual Education at a Glance, a report that compares structures, finances, and performance outcomes of international education systems. Education at a Glance 2020 has a specific focus on Vocational Education and Training (VET), and provides implications for VET in the US and internationally. Click here to read more.
Grant Opportunities
U.S. Department of Education Launches National Challenge to Advance Pre-apprenticeships and Expand Career Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Education announced the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge, a $750,000 competition to advance pre-apprenticeships. The Department invites adult education providers to design programs that better prepare learners for apprenticeships and beyond. The Rethink Adult Ed Challenge is helping Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA)-funded adult education providers create innovative and high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs – in any industry, anywhere in the United States.
Grand-prize winner will be awarded $250,000, and up to five runners-up will each receive at least $100,000. AEFLA-funded community colleges, correctional facilities, libraries, community-based organizations, and other adult education providers interested in entering the challenge should submit a preliminary program design by 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 25, 2020. To learn more about the Rethink Adult Ed Challenge, check out the recorded information session by following this link.
