U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus, wants to ensure central Ohio is well-positioned to meet its current and future workforce needs.
Sen. Portman participated in the “Future of Workforce” panel discussion with executives from Amazon, the Columbus Partnership, Columbus State Community College, and other regional leaders held on May 18 at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio.
“Great ideas were shared today and I look forward to a growing partnership between local businesses and Amazon to ensure that individuals are prepared and aware of career opportunities,” said the senator, referring to the launch of Career Choice, Amazon’s tuition assistance program for hourly associates.
The program pays 95 percent of tuition expenses for Amazon associates who have been with the company at least one year in their pursuit of certificates or associate degrees in fields of study that are specifically targeted to in-demand jobs, such as healthcare, manufacturing, IT/computer science, and commercial driving, according to Sen. Portman’s office.
“Educational incentive programs like Amazon’s Career Choice are vital to ensuring that we continue to aim to educate and help prepare individuals for the workforce,” said Sen. Portman. “I was pleased to see many community and business leaders participated in today’s event.”
Participation in the local discussion continued Sen. Portman’s ongoing workforce development efforts.
On April 24, Sen. Portman and U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) introduced the bipartisan Creating Quality Technical Educators Act of 2018, S.2737, which would create a teacher residency grant program to help address the CTE teacher shortage in schools. The bill has been referred to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for consideration.
Last May, Sen. Portman was among the original cosponsors of the bipartisan Perkins Fund for Equity and Excellence, S.1004, which would amend the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to replace the existing Tech Prep program with a new competitive grant program to support CTE.
Under the program, local educational agencies and their partners could apply for grant funding to support: CTE programs aligned with postsecondary education programs; dual or concurrent enrollment programs and early college programs; and certain evidence-based strategies and delivery models related to CTE, among other related programs, according to the congressional record summary.
Among the lawmakers joining Sen. Portman in introducing S. 1004 on May 2, 2017 were Sens. Capito, Kaine, and Baldwin, as well as U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN). The measure also has been referred to the Senate HELP Committee for consideration.