DeVos: PROSPER Act aligns with administration’s goals
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Committee on Tuesday continued to emphasize the importance of career preparation, especially for jobs that don’t require four-year degrees.
DeVos, who updated the committee on the department’s work over the past year, and GOP members of the panel also were in sync on wanting to expand Pell Grant eligibility to qualifying short-term workforce programs. She also commended committee chair Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) for leading the effort on the committee’s bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). Called the PROSPER Act, DeVos said the bill — which the full House may soon vote on — aligns with many of the administration’s goals for HEA reauthorization.
“I know the president looks forward to signing a bill into law,” she said.
To help make students and families more aware of career and technical education options, career exploration should begin in middle school, and more high schools should offer learn-and-earn opportunities, as well as dual enrollment, DeVos said.
She said her department is “encouraging innovation and collaboration at the community level,” while making sure the federal government provides flexibility to test such efforts and grow the ones that show promise.
DeVos also told the committee that the department is in process of rulemaking on gainful employment and borrow defense regulations, which she said were “poorly designed.”
“These rules must protect students from bad-faith actors, but they also must treat institutions and taxpayers fairly,” she said.
Wisconsin college extends Promise to adults
Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) has launched its MATC Promise for Adults, which will offer free tuition to eligible students to finish their associate degrees at the college.
The new program is an expansion of MATC’s first-in-the-state Promise program, which assists new high school graduates. The MATC Promise for Adults covers tuition costs after scholarships and grants for up to 75 credits for eligible individuals. Students must be:
● 24 years or older and live in the MATC district
● Have an annual family income of $56,000 or less (based on federal student aid application)
● Have earned at least six college credits but have not earned an associate or bachelor’s degree
● Have been out of college for at least two years
(From left) Community philanthropist, MATC Promise donor and Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele; David Dull, chair of the MATC district board and president and CEO of Allis Roller; and MATC President Vicki J. Martin. (Photo: MATC)
“We are offering this program in direct response to the urgent needs of our community – where area employers are desperate to fill the middle-skill jobs, while at the same time many local residents lack the resources and support to gain the degrees necessary for these positions,” said MATC President Vicki J. Martin.
“We know that college costs and concern about student debt are major deterrents for students interested in returning to college,” she said. “Studies show that 60 percent of adults who started college but didn’t earn degrees want to return. We want to ensure that the tuition and finances are not the reason people with financial challenges cannot return to school. We want everyone to have an opportunity to better their lives, while providing the talent pipeline for area employers.”
Reaching vets for emerging petrochemical jobs
In Pennsylvania, the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) and Shell Polymers are working together to get the word out to local military veterans and those still in the service about available jobs with the company as it builds am ethane cracker plant in the area.
The Community College of Beaver County and Shell Polymers run information sessions about local job opportunities, including jobs that Shell’s ethane cracker plant will offer. (Photo: CCBC)
“As Beaver County and the region prepare for employment opportunities in the petrochemical industry, CCBC recognizes the importance of filling the skills gap with a talented and diverse workforce by providing venues for all individuals to learn how to prepare,” said John Goberish, CCBC’s dean of workforce and continuing education.
Short-term, intermediate and long-term career opportunities will be available at the plant, in other manufacturing organizations and throughout the area in the future. An estimated 6,000 workers from building and construction trade will be needed during the cracker plant’s construction phase. Once operational, there will be 600 permanent full-time jobs paying family-sustaining wages in career areas such as process technology, engineering and maintenance, among others.
$2 million saved on book costs
In Michigan, Grand Rapids Community College students saved more than $2 million in textbook costs this past academic year through a partnership with OpenStax, Rice University’s open educational resources program that provides free, high-quality peer-reviewed textbooks.
Students can easily access the text directly from the OpenStax website, where they have the option to download a full copy, an e-book or access the necessary information to obtain a traditional bound printed copy at cost.
For the 2017-18 academic year, more than 325 class sections used OER materials, representing over 30 individual courses.
