U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, returns to the Capitol on Tues. to debate a bill that would reauthorize a federal funding source for job training and apprenticeships.
The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act supports pathway programs in all 50 states. It's up for reauthorization. The Perkins Act was last reauthorized by Congress, almost unanimously, in 2006.
The bill to bring back the Perkins Act, known as the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, would increase funding by $10 million over 6 years, totaling $1.21 billion by 2023. It would also expand apprenticeships to include STEM and computer science fields.
"What we're really looking at is, 'how do we make it a more efficient, effective and accountable program?,'" Rep. LaHood said.
On Mon., LaHood hosted stakeholders representing public education, construction and labor to discuss their needs, as it relates to career readiness and apprenticeships.
The resounding conclusion from the group, which included Peoria Public Schools' superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat and Peoria Area Labor Managment Council Executive Director Kevin Carter, was that there's still plenty of room to expand technical education and pipeline programs.
Dana Oaks, executive director of the Greater Peoria Contractors and Suppliers Association, told the Congressman when it comes to apprenticeship programs in Peoria, there’s no need to “reinvent the wheel.”
“When the funding does become available, we do have the means to distribute it and take care of it in a fiscally responsible manner. We have everything in place, it just needs funding," Oaks said.
Oaks added, there’s a large “gap” that needs filling. As baby boomers move out of the workforce, he says, there's a lack of job-ready workers to fill the vacancies they're leaving behind.
The discussion in Peoria comes just days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would double the amount of money spent on apprenticeship programs.
“It’ll be a good partnership with what the president wants to do. I think him talking about apprenticeships will dovetail very, very well with what we’re doing here,” Rep. LaHood Said.
LaHood says he expects bipartisan support on the measure, which could come up for a vote by the end of this week.