SR153

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, 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 Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Education.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Department of Education; Vocational Education; Study; Report

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	153
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII