ACR 119, as amended, Muratsuchi. Community colleges: career technical education.
This measure would encourage the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with affected stakeholders, to develop options to address the long-term funding needs of career technical education and other workforce and training programs at the campuses of the California Community Colleges, and to submit those options to the Legislature beforebegin delete Juneend deletebegin insert Aprilend insert 1, 2015, so it may address these funding concerns during its 2015-16 Regular Session.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, The California Community Colleges comprises
2the nation’s largest system of higher education with 112 colleges
3that serve more than 2.3 million students each academic year; and
4WHEREAS, The community colleges play an important role in
5boosting our state’s economy and providing students with the
P2 1education, training, and skills necessary to keep our state and nation
2globally competitive; and
3WHEREAS, The community colleges offer a broad array of
4career-oriented courses, certificates, and associate degrees through
5career technical education (CTE) and other workforce and training
6programs; and
7WHEREAS, Recent high school graduates, underemployed and
8unemployed adults, incumbent workers searching for career
9advancement, veterans, and college graduates seeking retraining
10can all benefit from CTE and other workforce and training
11programs; and
12WHEREAS, A college degree or industry-recognized certificate
13is the principal pathway to personal economic security; and
14WHEREAS, After several years of budget cuts during the
15recession, California community college, CTE, and other workforce
16and training course offerings have been reduced; and
17WHEREAS, California has seen cutbacks of more than $500
18million in programs that prepare individuals for employment; and
19WHEREAS, CTE and other workforce and training programs
20are often expensive due to the need for smaller class sizes and
21specialized equipment and facilities; and
22WHEREAS, Prioritizing existing CTE and other workforce and
23training resources in major regional industry sectors may help
24close the skills gap in our state’s labor force; and
25WHEREAS, CTE andbegin insert otherend insert workforce and training programs
26in the California Community Colleges lack adequate long-term
27funding to meet the needs of today’s growing economy; and
28WHEREAS, Any change to funding for CTE and other
29workforce and training programs at the California Community
30Colleges requires the enactment of legislation; now, therefore, be
31it
32Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
33thereof concurring, That the Legislature encourages the Chancellor
34of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with
35affected stakeholders, including, but not limited to, experts in the
36field of CTE, business and industry representatives, faculty, and
37organized labor representatives to develop at least three options
38to address the long-term funding needs of CTE and other workforce
39and training programs at the campuses of the California
40Community Colleges, in a manner that adequately funds the
P3 1programs that regions deem valuable to their economies, and to
2submit those options to the Legislature beforebegin delete Juneend deletebegin insert
Aprilend insert 1, 2015;
3and
be it further
4Resolved, That it is the intent of the Legislature during the
52015-16 Regular Session to address the long-term funding needs
6of CTE and other workforce and training programs at the campuses
7of the California Community Colleges; and be it further
8Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
9of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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