Roger Marshall: Strengthening the Workforce Through Community College and Apprenticeship Alignment

Community Colleges as Workforce Stars

• 🌟 Senator Roger Marshall highlights community and technical colleges in Kansas as educational bright stars.
• 🤝 These institutions are actively aligning registered apprenticeship systems with higher education, creating pathways for high-wage, high-demand occupations.
• 🎓 Pathways are being developed for union apprentices to earn associate and bachelor's degrees.
• 🛠️ Nearly all community and tech colleges act as group sponsors, providing strong support for employers to establish new registered apprenticeship programs.

Federal Funding for Skilled Trades

• 📚 Perkins CTE funding is identified as a key resource, easily aligning with apprenticeship efforts.
• 💡 Federal funding can support infrastructure and equipment for community colleges, especially for advanced technologies.
• 💰 PEL grants are crucial for students to cover tuition for related technical instruction and on-the-job training.
• 🔗 Flexibility has been added to Perkins grants to further support apprenticeship programs.

Apprenticeships and High School Engagement

• 🧑‍🔧 Registered apprenticeships can begin as early as age 16, with youth apprenticeship programs offering the same training requirements and safety standards.
• 🚀 Engaging students in work-based learning while they are still in high school encourages continued participation in skilled trades.
• 🏫 Many high schools are implementing curriculum to learn the trades, providing a direct path to registered apprenticeships for students not pursuing traditional college degrees.

Union and Higher Education Partnerships

• 🔗 Unions are actively engaging with community colleges and technical colleges to ensure members can leverage educational pathways.
• 🤝 Programs affiliated with community colleges have shown wild success and are expanding.
• 🎓 Partnerships with community colleges often result in students earning an associate degree upon apprenticeship completion, enhancing career opportunities.

Success Stories in Skilled Trades

• 🏆 A world champion welder graduated from Southeast Kansas Community College.
• 💰 A student completing a welding program in high school secured a starting salary over $100,000 working on oil and gas pipelines.
• 📈 The need for skilled trades in industries like oil and gas pipelines is highlighted, with competitive salaries for union workers.