Legislature(2021 - 2022)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
01/24/2022 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| University of Alaska Presentation on Workforce Development Programs | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
January 24, 2022
1:43 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Joshua Revak, Vice Chair
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Gary Stevens
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Mia Costello, Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA PRESENTATION ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
PAT PITNEY, Interim President
University of Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered a presentation on Workforce
Development Programs.
TERI COTHREN, Associate Vice President
University of Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the presentation on
Workforce Development Programs.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:43:29 PM
VICE CHAIR JOSHUA REVAK called the Senate Labor and Commerce
Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:43 p.m. Present at the
call to order were Senators Gray Jackson, Micciche, and Vice
Chair Revak. Senator Stevens arrived during the course of the
meeting.
^University of Alaska Presentation on Workforce Development
Programs
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA PRESENTATION ON WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS
1:44:23 PM
VICE CHAIR REVAK announced the committee would hear a
presentation on Workforce Development Programs by University of
Alaska Interim President Pat Pitney.
1:44:52 PM
PAT PITNEY, Interim President, University of Alaska, Anchorage,
Alaska, began the presentation by explaining that the University
of Alaska is Alaska's system of higher education. It has three
universities in Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks: UAA, UAS, and
UAF. Each has a different mission: UAF is research; UAA is open
access, comprehensive; and UAS is regional. Combined, they
provide a breadth of programs from workforce credentialing to
doctoral degrees. The community campuses throughout the state
provide leadership advocacy and are an important component of
the whole, particularly in the workforce development sector.
PRESIDENT PITNEY related that since she accepted the interim
position, her focus has been to build stability for the UA
system, which will foster confidence and trust in meeting the
needs of the state. These include: meeting Alaska's workforce
needs through increased skill and degree attainment; world-class
nationally competitive research, which is an economic engine for
the state; and more cost effective operations.
She displayed slide 4 and cited the following data to
demonstrate that postsecondary education pays:
Median earnings:
• $35,328 for high school graduates
• $44,619 for Alaskans with an associate's
• $57,708 for those with a bachelor's
• $77,402 for holders of graduate or professional
degrees
PRESIDENT PITNEY said the focus and attention on postsecondary
education - from technical programs to graduate programs, makes
a difference to a person's life and a large difference to the
state's economy.
1:48:20 PM
She related that Alaska has been challenged for the last several
years because the population is flat and the working age
population is declining. She asked Teri Cothren if she had
anything to add.
1:48:52 PM
At ease
1:49:56 PM
VICE CHAIR REVAK reconvened the meeting and recognized Teri
Cothren.
1:50:28 PM
TERI COTHREN, Associate Vice President of Workforce Development,
University of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, confirmed that the
declining access to a skilled workforce is a challenge. She said
there are very good, high-pay jobs available throughout all
regions of the state. Alaska will be in a better position
economically if more Alaskans become interested in obtaining
training to increase their skill level for those jobs. The
university is positioning itself to offer both short and long-
term programs that will train Alaskans for the jobs both today
and in the future.
1:51:45 PM
PRESIDENT PITNEY turned to slide 6 that depicts the percent of
UA graduates working in Alaska. She said UA has analyzed nine
different industry sectors, one of which is workforce
development. Across all sectors, 96.3 percent of UA graduates
working in Alaska are residents. For comparison, residency for
all Alaska workers in these occupation areas is 79.3 percent.
She displayed a map of the state to show that UA graduates work
throughout Alaska according to the nine industry workforce
reports.
She deferred to Ms. Cothren to discuss the Department of Labor
and Workforce Development (DOLWD) 2022 Jobs Forecast and the
federal Infrastructure Bill.
1:53:24 PM
MS. COTHREN said she does not know how much Alaska will receive
from the Infrastructure Bill, but the initial analysis indicates
that it will be more per capita than any other state. It is
therefore important to partner to prepare Alaskans for the jobs
this funding will require. This includes ensuring students
obtain cross-cutting skills they can utilize long term.
She mentioned the UA construction programs at the three
universities and highlighted that those occupations require
cross-cutting skills for mining, maritime, oil & gas, and other
key industry sectors to the state's economy. Because the funding
will spread over five years, she said there is a window to
prepare and be strategic to leverage existing assets across the
state's six economic regions to prepare and train Alaskans for
these jobs. She pointed out that a number of the jobs listed on
slide 8 require short term training while others such as
construction management take longer. She noted that many of the
university programs that support construction in particular
already exist. What is needed is to increase awareness to get
Alaskans involved in these training programs. It is also
important to increase awareness about access to funding such as
federal student aid. She highlighted that while Alaska ranks
50th for completing FAFSA applications for financial aid, the
research shows that students who complete the FAFSA application
are 40 percent more likely to enroll in post-secondary
education.
MS. COTHREN said UA also partners with the Department of Labor
and Workforce Development (DOLWD) and local job centers to
increase access to USDOL Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act
funding that provides wraparound services and helps remove
barriers to Alaskans accessing jobs training. She said
engagement with industry partners can be strengthened by
utilizing labor market data to identify gaps and emerging needs,
and this requires strategic investment. She noted that the
January 2022 issue of DOLWD's Trends magazine highlighted that
job growth is also anticipated in health care, transportation,
public schools, and oil and mining exploration and development.
1:58:13 PM
VICE CHAIR REVAK asked about enrollment trends in the UA system.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied there are fewer students than a few
years ago. She noted that UA saw significant reductions in the
budget seven of the last eight years and is requesting a modest
budget increase this year. UA lost one-third of its state
funding or $100 million in general fund. That combined with
COVID has resulted in lower enrollment. UA reduced a lot of
programs, but maintained those that are most connected to the
high-demand jobs in the state. Some programs, such as health
care, have capacity constraints, while others have the capacity
to handle additional enrollment. A few areas will need
investment, whereas others just need a link to students and
increased awareness that the jobs will be there and the skillset
for those jobs will last beyond this boom. She highlighted that
workers are not drawn to Alaska as they were in the past when
wages were substantially higher than in the Lower 48.
PRESIDENT PITNEY said three factors point to the need to train
Alaskans with the skillsets for Alaska jobs: 1) the working age
population is declining; workers are not drawn to Alaska like
they were in the past because the substantial wage differential
no longer exists; and every state is getting money from the
infrastructure bill so workers are less likely to relocate.
2:01:07 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE noted that he heard much of this information
when President Pitney presented to the Education Committee this
morning. He recounted that UA has experienced a 35 percent
reduction in enrollment, which is more than 11,000 students. He
expressed concern about the unprecedented loss and suggested
members review the presentation from this morning.
VICE CHAIR REVAK asked if more Alaskans who have graduated high
school are going out of state for post-secondary education as
opposed to attending UA.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied those numbers have not changed very
much. The biggest challenge is that more students are choosing
to not continue any type of education beyond high school. She
acknowledged that uncertainty about financial aid certainly
plays a part. The Alaska Performance Scholarship and the Alaska
Education Grant were up in the air at the end of last session
and that left a lot of people who had enrolled up in the air
about whether they would receive funding. She emphasized that
stability is essential to repair the damage that the last eight
years of uncertainty has done. She noted that COVID compounded
the problem but it was not as large a factor as anticipated.
2:05:21 PM
PRESIDENT PITNEY turned to slide 9 to discuss how the Technical
and Vocational Education Program (TVEP) supports workforce
development. She explained that the Alaska Workforce Investment
Board provides funding to the University of Alaska and 14 other
providers for 1-2 year career technical education (CTE) courses.
She reported that in FY2020, UA trained 50 percent of CTE
students statewide. High school students participating in the
middle college program receive college credit for taking CTE
courses. Because UA is the university system for higher
education, it stretches from the community college and technical
college mission through PhD programs. The infrastructure bill
will make a particular difference for these short term courses.
MS. COTHREN added that the university system uses TVEP to
deliver career and technical education programs and to help
maintain lab space and equipment, which is important to continue
to meet current industry standards. TVEP funding is also
strategically invested to meet emerging needs. For example, a
program that is currently receiving funding is training electric
vehicle technicians. Electric vehicle use is expanding in the
state and UA is trying to get ahead of that curve to meet that
workforce demand.
2:08:30 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON asked if high school students who are
receiving college credits while in high school are continuing to
post-secondary education.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied a much higher percentage of middle
college students are going on to college and quite a high
percentage are staying in Alaska. She posited that taking middle
college courses takes some of the fear out of transitioning to
college.
She displayed pictures representing the nine UA workforce
reports in administration and finance, aviation, construction,
fisheries and marine science, health, information technology,
mining, oil and gas, and teacher education. She urged the
committee to look at the reports which are updated every other
year.
2:10:51 PM
PRESIDENT PITNEY directed attention to the list of UA
construction programs at the three universities listed on slide
11.
MS. COTHREN added that UA is partnering with school district
construction programs to strengthen the path for secondary and
post-secondary education. She cited the example in Juneau where
the Southeast Career Education campus partners with the local
housing authority and school district to train high school and
post-secondary students to build houses locally. The funds from
the sale of those houses are used to benefit the community and
to reinvest in the program for continued sustainability. She
noted that welding is an example of another popular dual
enrollment technical education program.
2:12:59 PM
PRESIDENT PITNEY mentioned a few of the construction programs to
demonstrate the breadth of offerings including: Refrigeration
and Heating Technology, Structural Technology, and Occupational
Safety and Health
PRESIDENT PITNEY reviewed the UA Workforce Report for
Construction. She highlighted that 97 percent of working
graduates of UA construction programs are Alaska residents; 85
percent obtain employment in the first year after graduation;
and five years after completing the training the average wage is
$72,000.
MS. COTHREN said another example related to construction is how
UA is addressing the statewide need for drivers who possess a
commercial driver's license (CDL). They are needed to drive
school buses and in construction, mining, and oil and gas. This
is a high demand area that will be accentuated with the
additional transportation needs related to the Infrastructure
Bill. She explained that the UAA Career and Technical College in
Anchorage became a testing site so that students can obtain a
CDL while they are in another program such as diesel technology.
All they have to do is submit their paperwork to the Division of
Motor Vehicles (DMV) to get their license instated without
additional testing. Because students are sometimes reluctant to
leave their rural area to visit an urban hub to obtain a CDL, UA
is sending instructors to DMV approved sites and partnering with
industries to use their trucks and their harbor area outside of
seafood season where there is space to drive the truck. Up to 12
students can be trained locally and in a short period of time.
2:16:08 PM
PRESIDENT PITNEY reviewed the nine UA Workforce Reports:
Administration and Finance has 33 programs. While it varies
depending on the degree attained, graduates earn on average
$63,000 per year. She highlighted that graduates of the Public
Administration Program earn $100,000 per year.
Aviation has 11 programs and graduates can expect to earn up to
$73,000 per year.
Fisheries and Marine Science has 21 programs that serve this
industry. In the past 10 years, 975 students have graduated and
94 percent of the graduates working in this sector are Alaska
residents. She noted that the fisheries technician program is a
short course that has been robust the last three years. The
mariculture program is under construction.
The Health sector has 50 programs. On average, clinical
graduates earn $64,000 per year and behavioral health graduates
earn $52,000 per year. The first year after graduation 82
percent of clinical graduates and 57 percent of behavioral
health graduates are working in health care and social
assistance fields. The dental assistant and certified nurse aide
programs are short courses while the nursing program takes
longer. She noted the capacity constraints in this sector,
particularly in nursing.
2:18:53 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE said the nursing program is excellent and it
has had capacity issues for 40 years. He asked at what point
will UA increase the capacity of the nursing program to meet the
demand.
PRESIDENT PITNEY replied that in the 1998-2000 timeframe, UA set
out to increase the number of nurses in the program from about
70 to about 230 per year. The health care area has over 750
graduates per year, from certified nurse assistants to
administrators. Those programs grew consistently until 2014 when
the successive and dramatic budget reductions began. That made
it difficult to grow.
She related that the Department of Health and Social Services
(DHSS) has contracted with UAA to help recruit and retain
faculty in the nursing program. It is a one-time contract and
the university is asking for that funding in this budget. This
will provide stability for the program and the university could
then start to focus on the capacity issue. She noted that a
nursing degree is a four-year program so it will take that long
to begin to move the dial in the right direction. She added that
the loss in enrollment due to COVID amplified the effects of the
budget reductions.
2:23:05 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if UA had ever approached the legislature
with targeted funding requests. For example, a specific request
for $1.8 to increase the nursing program to fill a specific gap.
He wondered whether being more direct and targeted in making a
request might result in more support from the legislature to
lean on the administration.
2:24:13 PM
SENATOR STEVENS joined the committee.
PRESIDENT PITNEY said she can show specific requests through
FY2017 that did exactly that for a number of programs. There
were specific requests when the nursing program was expanded and
when the process technology program was being built. When the
budget reductions started, the university as a whole reallocated
funding to things like education, health programs, and
educators, but doing that meant other areas were cut further.
PRESIDENT PITNEY said the rest of the reports are excerpts. She
offered to answer questions.
2:26:13 PM
VICE CHAIR REVAK said he was pleased to see the focus on the
programs that Alaska needs most.
MS. COTHREN thanked the committee for its interest in the
workforce initiatives.
2:27:02 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE commented that he supports the university
system and has a vision for where the state can go and it is
reliant on a trained workforce. He encouraged the presenters to
keep their spirits up and help legislators to help the
university.
VICE CHAIR REVAK commented that the last several years have been
challenging for the university and he appreciates their efforts.
SENATOR STEVENS commented that higher education is in bad shape
now and he wanted to encourage everyone to get the word out to
young people in Alaska that a college education will improve
their lives in almost every way.
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON commented that she would like to see more
incentives for young people to graduate high school and go to
college. One barrier is cost and the legislature should do
something about that.
2:30:54 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Vice Chair Revak adjourned the Senate Labor and Commerce
Standing Committee meeting at 2:30 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| UA Workforce Development Presentation - 1.24.22.pdf |
SL&C 1/24/2022 1:30:00 PM |
|
| UA Workforce Report - Construction, November 2020.pdf |
SL&C 1/24/2022 1:30:00 PM |