Career TEchnical AND Adult Education News

In conjunction with National Workforce Development Month, Governor Mike DeWine announced today that ApprenticeOhio sponsors can apply for grants of up to $25,000 each to help cover apprenticeship training costs incurred since July 1, 2020. Ohio employers with registered apprentices in their workforces also can apply for the grants. The program is available through Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS).

“As our economy grows and more companies choose to expand in Ohio, good-paying jobs in the skilled trades will continue to grow,” said Governor DeWine. “Apprenticeships provide a proven path to success for those Ohioans looking to build their careers.”

The reimbursement grants are available as a result of a federal “Building State Capacity to Expand Apprenticeship through Innovation” grant that ODJFS received in 2020. Sponsors and employers can apply for the grants at Apprentice.Ohio.gov, now through Dec. 31. They can receive reimbursement of up to $2,500 per apprentice for up to 10 apprentices to help cover the cost of training and tool allowances. All applicants must have both a state of Ohio OH|ID and a federal Registered Apprenticeship ID.

“Program sponsors and employers know that apprenticeships are an excellent way to build a skilled and highly motivated workforce,” said Damschroder. “These grants will help employers invest in a workforce trained to their specifications, and help Ohioans looking for good-paying jobs.”

Ohio ranks second in the nation for the number of registered apprentices, with more than 20,000 enrolled. ApprenticeOhio programs offer a combination of paid on-the-job training, related technical instruction, and mentoring for skilled occupations. Apprentices earn while they learn, avoid student loan debt and, when they complete their programs, they can earn an average of $72,000 a year.

ODJFS oversees ApprenticeOhio, which registers programs that meet national criteria for quality and safety. Each ApprenticeOhio program is run by a sponsor: usually an employer, a group of employers or a labor/management committee. Apprentices learn skills needed for a job in the sponsor’s industry through at least 2,000 hours of structured on-the-job training and 144 hours of classroom training, typically at a local college or university. Ohio has 269 occupations that offer apprenticeships, in fields as diverse as aerospace, construction, energy, health care, manufacturing, computer programming, and more. For more information, visit Apprentice.Ohio.gov.

The Supreme Court of Ohio is offering grants to help schools defray the transportation costs to visit the Supreme Court and its Visitor Education Center through June 2023.

All Ohio schools that receive state funds are welcome to apply. Grants will be awarded based on the percentage of students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program as reported by the Ohio Department of Education for fiscal year 2020. Schools will be eligible to receive one grant for students fourth grade and above.

Preference will be given to schools that did not receive transportation grant funds during the past four school years.

Categories

The amount of the grant will be based on the one-way distance from your school to the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center. There are three categories:

Less than 50 miles $220

51 to 100 miles $330

101 or more miles $440

The Supreme Court Visitor Education Center is a dynamic teaching tool, offering students - fourth grade and above - an inside look at Ohio courts. School tours also include a visit to the courtroom, featuring brilliant artwork that portrays Ohio's history, culture, and commerce.

How to Apply

Applications may be submitted online by authorized teachers and school administrators. Completed applications will be accepted until Sept. 25, 2022. Only online applications will be accepted.

Reimbursements to Schools

A reimbursement check will be sent to the school principal or administrator within 30 days after the field trip. No funds will be distributed prior to the scheduled trip.

For more information, please email CourtTours@sc.ohio.gov or call 614.387.9223. You can also visit 

https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/education/civic-ed/transportation-grants/. 

Thank you to the 43 schools who are School/Organizational Members of Ohio ACTE! 

Being an organizational member means every staff person in that school is a member of Ohio ACTE, as well as shows the school's support and commitment to teachers, students, and the career-tech community.  Please thank your school leadership for your Ohio ACTE membership.

Visit this page to see if your school is already a School member (which means you are a member, too!)

Interested in becoming a School member?  Click here for more information.

The Biden-Harris Administration has recently announced new efforts to strengthen the teaching profession and support schools in their effort to address teacher shortages across the United States. The announcement includes new commitments from leading job platforms to make it easier to find opportunities in the education field, and new initiatives from teachers unions and national and state organizations to expand high-quality pathways into the profession for future teachers.

Efforts include assisting schools find not only qualified teachers, but also paraprofessional staff, bus drivers, nurses, mental health professionals, and other critical school personnel.

In addition to more funding through the American Rescue Plan, the Administration is working with top job sites, including ZipRecruiter, Indeed, and Handshake. ZipRecruiter has created a new online job portal specifically for teachers, while Handshake will focus on helping college students learn more about careers in education. Indeed will be hosting virtual hiring fairs.

The Department of Education and the Department of Labor have also worked together to issue a joint letter encouraging state and local education leaders to pay teachers a livable and competitive wage and expand programs that prepare and support teachers. 

The Biden-Harris Administration has made it clear that this is a top priority for the federal government. Read more on the  White House Fact Sheet website.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced results for the July round of TechCred applications, with 348 employers approved for funding that will enable 3,855 Ohioans to earn tech-focused credentials. It is the 15th round of the program; the September application period runs from Thursday, Sept. 1 to Friday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. In total, the program has led to 1,958 employers approved for funding and 48,632 credentials being earned.

“TechCred has proven its importance to Ohio businesses and their employees, especially as we continue to see the program grow and be successful,” Husted said. “Giving Ohioans the opportunity to upskill or reskill themselves is vital to our economy and workforce.”

Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik added that the state needs highly skilled workers to continue moving forward and this will result in “better pay for workers and increased productivity for businesses.”

Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner also said the program helps both employers and workers keep up with changes in technology.

The Fall Session of the Career Guide Certificate Program is set to begin Sept. 26 and will run through November 18. In the course, participants will learn how to guide students in considering all of their career options along with the training and education needed. This 8-week program also provides:

• A focus on Ohio-specific resources and information
• Opportunity to meet current legislation – Career Advising/ Externships
• Exposure to businesses and local career-technical programs and  campuses
• A look at state resources – Ohio Means Jobs & Career Connections
• A forum for discussion and emphasis on career counseling best practices

Read more about the program here.

Ready to register? Visit the Career Guide Certificate Program Event Page.

Ohio Revised Code requires all local school districts to offer career-technical education to students in the seventh and eighth grades. Districts that do not offer career-technical education in either grade level are required to annually submit a Board resolution and waiver of the state law requirement to the Department by September 30. Local school districts are encouraged to work with their Career-Technical Planning District (CTPD) to develop a means of providing career-technical education offerings to their middle school students and will be reminded of compliance through letters sent out by October 30.

Districts that have not yet submitted Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) for Fiscal Year 2021 must do so by September 15. The PIP for Work-Based Learning must include submission of the FY23-24 Work-Based Learning Growth Strategy Worksheet, which can be found here in the Perkins V program Improvement Plan section. 

During her presentation at the Ohio ACTE Annual Innovation & Impact Conference in July,  Leah Amstutz,  Director of the Office of Career-Technical Education at the Ohio Department of Education, introduced a white paper on Expanding Career-Technical Education (CTE) in Ohio.

The ODE Office of CTE worked with several members of the education community to compose this white paper. The goal was to examine the key components, benefits and strategies of the current career-technical education system, identify potential barriers to expansion and propose policy considerations to enhance and expand opportunities for students. The white paper can be found here. 

Members/Contributors to the workgroup:

The Office of Career Technical Education is compiling data on in-demand jobs across all career fields to assist districts in planning expansions of career-technical education.

The team looked at 109 different occupations within the Engineering and Science Technologies career field to examine projected growth in the field. Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators make up the largest number of projected jobs with almost 78,000 jobs projected in Ohio in 2031. Additionally, the top companies hiring for education and training occupations in Ohio are Aerotek, GPAC and Randstad. The data also includes hard and soft skills in demand in the career field.

Link to the full Engineering and Science Technologies Job Data Report.