03/25/2024 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

        HB 55-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:35:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
VICE CHAIR  RUFFRIDGE announced that  the next order  of business                                                               
would be  HOUSE BILL NO. 55,  "An Act relating to  allocations of                                                               
funding for the Alaska Workforce  Investment Board; and providing                                                               
for  an  effective  date."     [Before  the  committee  was  CSHB
(EDC).]                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:36:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK noted that HB  55 was before the committee                                                               
[on 3/22/24], so today she will take questions about policy.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:37:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TERI  COTHREN, Associate  Vice President,  Workforce Development,                                                               
University of  Alaska, provided a PowerPoint  presentation titled                                                               
"Technical Vocational Education  Program," [TVEP], dated 3/25/24.                                                               
She  displayed the  title slide  and  said she  will provide  the                                                               
context for  the importance of  reauthorizing TVEP  and providing                                                               
funding to upscale  and rescale Alaskans for high  demand jobs in                                                               
the state.   She stated that  because of the billions  in federal                                                               
funding  for  infrastructure  projects, skilled  workforce  needs                                                               
will steadily increase  over the coming years,  and TVEP provides                                                               
stable  funding to  train  Alaskans for  these  projects and  for                                                               
maintaining the infrastructure long term.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS. COTHREN showed slide 2  and discussed the 2024 jobs forecast.                                                               
She said  the University  of Alaska (UA)  is the  state's largest                                                               
and most comprehensive  workforce provider and is  key to meeting                                                               
Alaska's workforce needs.   She moved to slide 3  and pointed out                                                               
that the  three separately accredited universities  within the UA                                                               
system  have  distinct   missions.    She  said   they  are  also                                                               
responsible  for serving  the community  college mission  through                                                               
thirteen  community  campuses  that  provide  access  to  current                                                               
technical education across all six of Alaska's economic regions.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:38:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COTHREN stated  that  slide  4 is  a  summary of  employment                                                               
outcomes  for  nearly  27,000   graduates  across  11  industries                                                               
important to Alaska's  economy.  She reported  that the graduates                                                               
from   short-term   certificate   and  associate   programs   are                                                               
outearning  the  average  Alaska  wage by  their  fifth  year  of                                                               
employment.   She specified  that 94.8  percent of  these working                                                               
graduates are  Alaska residents and said  reauthorization of TVEP                                                               
is critical in addressing the state's workforce needs.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. COTHREN spoke to slide 5.   She explained that the university                                                               
collaborates  with   the  Department   of  Labor   and  Workforce                                                               
Development  (DLWD)  on  the   annual  Technical  and  Vocational                                                               
Education Program  Report and demonstrates  requirements outcome.                                                               
She related that [for fiscal  year 2023], the university utilized                                                               
its  45 percent  allocation to  train nearly  5,000 students  who                                                               
overall  had an  80  percent employment  rate  [after exit],  and                                                               
nearly  1,300 high  school  students  [received college  credit].                                                               
The  university,  she  continued,  distributes  its  single  TVEP                                                               
allocation through a competitive  grant process that includes all                                                               
campuses and  programs in  the UA system  that are  aligned state                                                               
identified priorities and are the intent of TVEP.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:40:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COTHREN addressed  slide 6.    She said  TVEP supports  high                                                               
priority  industries   that  are  aligned  to   Alaska  Workforce                                                               
Investment Board priority  industries and TVEP serves  all six of                                                               
Alaska's  economic  regions.   The  Fairbanks  Pipeline  Training                                                               
Center,  she  noted,  receives  a  portion  of  UA's  45  percent                                                               
allocation as pass-through funding based on a 2008 fiscal note.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COTHREN  turned to  slide  7  and reviewed  the  performance                                                               
outcomes  and   efficient  use  of  funding   to  train  Alaskans                                                               
reflected in the TVEP annual  report.  Multiple access points are                                                               
being  provided  for  technical   education  across  Alaska,  she                                                               
stated,  and  collectively across  the  10  TVEP recipients  over                                                               
8,500  participants  were trained  in  fiscal  year 2023  for  an                                                               
average cost of just over $1,600 per participant.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:42:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COTHREN displayed  slide 8  and concluded  her presentation.                                                               
She  said   the  University  of  Alaska   strongly  supports  the                                                               
reauthorization  of TVEP  [HB 55]  to provide  stable funding  to                                                               
address Alaska's  growing workforce  needs.   She added  that the                                                               
university continues to be aligned  with the Workforce Investment                                                               
Board's  identified industry  priorities and  to ensure  outcomes                                                               
that align with TVEP performance criteria.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:42:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS  drew attention to  slide 7 and  noted that                                                               
the Amundsen  Educational Center received [$274,100]  and trained                                                               
5 people [at  an investment of $54,820 per person].   He inquired                                                               
about the training  programs that Kenai residents  would enjoy if                                                               
the  legislature   allocated  another   $274,000  to   the  Kenai                                                               
Peninsula.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COTHREN  replied  that   the  university's  Kenai  Peninsula                                                               
College, which  serves over 1,700 students,  has welding programs                                                               
and  programs   in  process  technology  that   were  started  in                                                               
partnership with  the oil  and gas industry,  as well  as general                                                               
education requirements as a pathway into other degree programs.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:44:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER brought attention  to slide 7 and inquired                                                               
about the  high utilization rate  by adults at  Ilisagvik College                                                               
[799] versus  the number  of adults  served by  Alaska Vocational                                                               
Technical  Center  (AVTEC) [1,170],  given  the  small number  of                                                               
people  in the  North Slope  area  as compared  to the  statewide                                                               
population of about 750,000.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. COTHREN responded that she cannot speak to that.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:45:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK posited  that as a hub campus  for lots of                                                               
communities on  the North Slope,  Ilisagvik College  is providing                                                               
training  to  a  large  region  and not  just  the  community  of                                                               
Utqiagvik [formerly Barrow].                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:45:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
VICE CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that HB 55 was held over.