THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
190 |
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
requesting the department of education to conduct a study to assess the adequacy of the Department's vocational EDUCATION programs to prepare students for a career in a vocation.
WHEREAS, a four-year college degree may not be suitable for all students; and
WHEREAS, the daunting financial commitment necessary to obtain a four-year college degree may leave some students heavily indebted after college; and
WHEREAS, many vocational career fields provide suitable incomes for the State's middle-class; and
WHEREAS, many students would benefit from the Department of Education offering courses and training in vocational career fields; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii P-20 College and Career Readiness Indicators Report of 2017 found that of the State's high school students, seventeen percent did not graduate and only fifty-five percent enrolled in post-secondary education, of which only thirty-two percent enrolled in a four-year university; and
WHEREAS, according to the June 13, 2018, edition of Forbes magazine, more than forty-four million borrowers currently owe a total of $1,500,000,000 in student loans, with the average college graduate owing $37,172 in student loans in 2016; and
WHEREAS, according
to the National Center for Education Statistics, three out of ten high school
graduates nationwide who attended four-year public universities failed to earn
their degrees within six years; and
WHEREAS, according to the Georgetown
University Center on Education and the Workforce, there are nearly thirty million
jobs in the United States that pay an average of $55,000 per year and do not
require a bachelor's degree; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Department of Labor, there were 6,600,000 job openings in early 2018 in vocational career fields; and
WHEREAS, due to lack of training in particular skills, the demand for skilled workers in various industries throughout the nation will exceed the number of available workers; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Education, Department of Transportation, and Department of Labor collaboratively examined specific transportation subsectors, including trucking; transportation; highway construction and maintenance; transit and ground passenger transportation; rail transportation; air transportation; and maritime, and projected that annual job openings in these subsectors will be sixty-eight percent larger than the number of individuals completing related education programs; and
WHEREAS, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that in four years, careers in construction, health care, and personal care will account for one-third of all new jobs in the nation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to conduct a study to assess the adequacy of the Department's vocational education programs to prepare students for a career in a vocational career field; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to include the following as part of its study:
(1) Identification of the vocational career fields in the State that:
(A) Have a current or projected demand for skilled workers;
(B) Do not require a four-year college degree; and
(C) Provide wages that will enable the interested students to achieve middle-class status in the State or anywhere in the nation;
(2) An assessment of the accessibility and availability of the Department's current course offerings in the vocational career fields identified in paragraph (1);
(3) A plan of action that the Department intends to undertake to address or cure any deficiencies identified in paragraph (2);
(4) Recommendations and strategies that the Department will implement to:
(A) Attract and retain qualified teachers; and
(B) Eliminate anything currently hindering the hiring of qualified vocational teachers in vocational subject areas; and
(5) An estimate of any funds or a proposal of any funding sources, or both, necessary to implement any plans, recommendations, or strategies identified pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4); and
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report of
its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the
Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular
Session of 2020; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified
copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the
Chairperson of the Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Education.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Department of Education; Vocational Education; Study; Report