Apr. 16, 2018
HARRISBURG – As part of continuing efforts to ensure educational opportunities are available to all Pennsylvania students, the House Education Committee approved on Monday legislation by Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) to expedite and simplify the Classification of Program Code to improve and expand Career and Technical Education (CTE) in schools.
Grove’s
House Bill 2157 is part of a bipartisan nine-bill package of legislation developed from recommendations laid out in a report issued last session by the House Select Subcommittee on Technical Education and Career Readiness. Grove chaired the subcommittee which provided the foundation for the current effort to improve CTE in the Commonwealth.
“Preparing our students for employment in a 21st-century, global economy requires a renewed emphasis on promoting manufacturing and other career paths,” Grove said. “The aim is to train students for good-paying, family-sustaining jobs and ensure they carry very little or no student loan debt as they enter the workforce. Pennsylvanians on a whole benefit from a bolstered economy driven by in-state manufacturing.”
House Bill 2157 would establish a standard application form for a public school entity, including a school district, charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit or area vocational-technical school, seeking approval to establish or renew a vocational program.
Additionally, the legislation would require the Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence and the state Department of Education (PDE) to issue course guidelines and update the guidelines every five years. This would identify the circumstances of when a student, who successfully completes a course, program or activity, may apply for course credit toward the completion of a CTE program.
“Streamlining the program approval process would allow schools to nearly instantaneously adjust to the ever-changing business climate in Pennsylvania, allowing schools to meet industry and workforce demands quickly,” Grove said. “Setting and updating guidelines by PDE and the Commission for Agriculture Education Excellence would give our students the ability to receive course credit from programs, which would better prepare them for work after school.”
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
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