The U.S. Department of Labor announced the availability of $15 million in grant funding to support programs that help youth – particularly those in rural areas, people of color and people with disabilities – to overcome obstacles to educational and workforce success with training and career guidance. See the news release here: US Department of Labor announces $15M funding availability to help youth, young adults prepare for college, career success | U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov) and...

Schools across the nation are experiencing challenges in filling teaching positions in career and technical education. This article provides more information about this needs and prompts the question, "Is the Cooperative Extension Service positioned to help bridge this gap by partnering with schools?". https://www.brookings.edu/articles/career-and-technical-education-is-a-hidden-weak-spot-in-many-high-schools-teacher-workforces/ *Accompanying image created using Microsoft CoPilot AI.

In Missouri, we have seen similar issues in some data analysis we've done on behalf of our Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. For people responding to the survey from within the educational system, turnover was one of the biggest impediments to growing their CTE programs and building student awareness and interest in those programs.

A recent multi-institution study found that over 90% of surveyed faculty had students contact them for career advice. Of those 90%, only about 70% indicated they had worked with their institutions career centers. This gap can create challenges or missed opportunities for students. Additionally, many faculty might be missing the value of connecting with departments that are engaging with clientele and communities outside the university (such as the Cooperative Extension Service). Graduating...

The AgriProspects Workforce Development Network, a collaborative effort of the Extension Foundation (EXF), the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP) Economic & Workforce Development Program Action Team (Workforce PAT) and USDA-NIFA, aims to bolster the Extension system’s capacity to meet the evolving workforce demands within the food and agriculture sector. To further its mission, AgriProspects is seeking proposals for Round 1 of its Mini-grant Program. Round 1...

Right on! Yes, we see the need in our rural region for support, and with the networks and grant development from Extension and 4-H, we are supporting CTE in schools in Wahkiakum County, Washington. We partner with schools and industry to create in-school learning opportunities with career exploration in advanced manufacturing, maritime and IT, K-12.