E&W Blog

A recent article from EdSurge highlighted the changing needs in today’s workforce and how our postsecondary education has been slow to respond. Here are three lessons from the article: 1. There are more than six million unfilled jobs in the United States in what is known as the skills gap. These jobs are unfilled because too many workers are unskilled. Corporate leaders are turning to talent deve... Read more »

The federal government’s effort to make postsecondary education more affordable has resulted in a convoluted maze of federal student aid programs including several grant programs, six different types of student loans, nine repayment plans, eight forgiveness programs, and 32 deferment and forbearance options. Read more »

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce moved its higher education reauthorization bill, the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform Act (PROSPER Act), out of committee five months ago. Soon after, HELP Committee Chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), indicated markup of the bill could begin this month. Let’s hope it does. Read more »

The U.S. economy is desperately short of skilled workers, and the federal government claims it wants to help. Alas, a new report from the Labor Department’s inspector general shows that the $1.7 billion federal Job Corps training program is a flop. Read more »

The Committee on Education and the Workforce received the following letter from Rebuilding America’s Middle Class (RAMC) Board Chair and Dallas County Community College District Chancellor praising the PROSPER Act. Here is what Joe May had to say: April 16, 2018 The Honorable Virginia Foxx U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce 2176 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 D... Read more »

April is Community College Awareness Month. Community colleges have provided the path for millions of Americans to reach the goals they have for themselves. Community colleges have also changed the face and the future of many communities across America by developing programs in specific areas and economies that need to grow and thrive. Read more »

The Committee on Education and the Workforce received the following letter from President Mitch Daniels of Purdue University praising the PROSPER Act. Here is what President Daniels had to say: Read more »

Hardworking Americans across the country search every day for a good-paying job that will lead them to a successful career and prosperous life. Presently, the American workforce faces a shortage of 6 million skilled workers – a number expected to reach 11 million by 2022. The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been working throughout this Congress to address the ever-growing skills gap t... Read more »

Students and families across the country continue to see tuition costs for postsecondary education rise, and institutions of higher education are no longer serving students who are seeking a degree. Read more »

A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal notes that the cost of achieving a postsecondary education from a public institution continues to rise as states make financial cuts to public higher education. Read more »