With both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on recess until after the elections, the news from the Capitol in October is focused on the Administration’s activities related to Career Technical Education (CTE). Read below to learn more about updates from the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and new Perkins V resources.
U.S. Department of Education Forms Higher Education Negotiated Rulemaking Committee
The Office of Postsecondary Education within the U.S. Department of Education established a negotiated rulemaking committee to create and propose higher education regulations related to Federal Student Aid programs within Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The committee will be named the “Accreditation and Innovation Committee,” and will have three subcommittees including the “Distance Learning and Educational Innovation Subcommittee.” Nominations for negotiators to be part of the committee must be submitted by November 15, 2018.
U.S. Departments of Education and Labor Award STEM, Apprenticeship Grants
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement awarded over $100 million in grants in the last month through the Education Innovation and Research grant program. Eleven of the 18 awards focused on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in some way.
In addition, over $1.5 million in grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor to apprenticeship programs for women. The Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grants are intended to help “recruit, train, and retain more American women in quality pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and pursue careers in manufacturing, infrastructure, and cybersecurity, among other industries.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Visits Apprenticeship Program, Speaks at National FFA Convention and Exposition 
On October 18, Secretary DeVos visited Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. During her visit, she saw the school’s apprenticeship program and had the opportunity to hear about how the school partners with local employers. On October 26, Secretary DeVos provided remarks at the National FFA Convention and Exposition in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Advance CTE and National Skills Coalition Release New Brief
This week, Advance CTE and National Skills Coalition released a new resource, Coordinating Across Perkins V and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. This guide looks at six opportunities to promote coordination across Perkins V and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) as states develop and implement plans under Perkins V. Looking for additional resources on Perkins V? Check out Advance CTE’s Perkins V webpage.
Kathryn Zekus, Senior Associate, Federal Policy