House passes bills on adult education, workforce training

The House pushed through a pair of Senate workforce development bills Monday afternoon.

The first, Senate Bill 891 by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, is one of several bills to advance Gov. Asa Hutchinson's plans at beefing up workforce education and job training in the state.

SB891, which would create a fund within the state Department of Higher Education to accept bids from regional job and workforce development initiatives, passed the House with a 94-0 vote. The Senate passed it 34-0 last week.

The fund, which will be called the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015 Fund, would receive some state funding. It would seek proposals from community colleges, universities, educational cooperatives and local workforce investment boards for grants of up to $100,000 to develop programs to boost workforce training.

Groups focusing on regional needs and offering defined and measurable performance outcomes would be given priority.

SB891 will bolster the aims of SB398, now Act 615, which will expand the state's Career Education and Workforce Development Board as well as create a Skills Development Fund for the purpose of developing good workforce programs in high schools and colleges.

That money will come from a mix of public and private funding.

On Monday, the House also passed SB154, which will allow for the creation of Adult Education Charter Schools in the state.

Sponsored by Sen. David Johnson, D-Little Rock, SB154 would authorize private, nonprofit groups to establish their own schools aimed at helping citizens ages 19 and older obtain a high school diploma or equivalent degree.

While studying to obtain a diploma or pass the GED tests, students would also have to enroll in a simultaneous job skill certification.

Any group wanting to set up such a school or program would have to demonstrate a history of success in providing education or job training opportunities to disadvantaged people and would also have to be willing to commit at least $1 million to its effort.

Any school would be capped at 350 students per year and would not receive any public funding, according to the bill's House co-sponsor, Rep. Mark Lowery, R-Maumelle.

Lowery said that Goodwill Industries has set up similar schools in other states and is ready to start one in southwest Little Rock as soon as the law is passed.

Asked why they needed legislation before operating, Lowery said that the schools, which are in the business of issuing degrees, would fall under supervision of the Department of Education.

Like other types of charter schools, these would also seek waivers from certain state requirements, like for example, allowing an instructor to teach at the new adult charter schools though that instructor isn't a state certified teacher.

Metro on 03/31/2015

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