HB 100-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS  6:54:45 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 100, "An Act relating to allocations of funding for the Alaska Workforce Investment Board; and providing for an effective date." 6:56:11 PM REPRESENTATIVE ADAM WOOL, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 100. He specified that HB 100 would reauthorize the Technical Vocational Education Program (TVEP) for another three years until 2024. He explained that TVEP was established in 2000 to utilize 0.16 percent of unemployment charge receipts to provide grants to career and technical education providers across the state. In the past the program has distributed an average of about $12 million. The program impacts thousands of students by offering industry specific training opportunities that help Alaskans get the work in industries such as fishing, mining, aviation, health care, and others. Program recipients include the University of Alaska, the Alaska Vocational Technical Center, the Alaska Technical Center, and Ilisagvik College on the North Slope. This list has been unchanged since 2014. He noted that because the [Labor & Workforce Development] Finance Subcommittee recently went over this, some of the newer committee members who didn't hear the bill last year have now heard some of it. 6:58:13 PM ASHLEY CARRICK, Staff, Representative Adam Wool, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Wool, sponsor of HB 100, provided a PowerPoint presentation titled "Technical Vocational Education Program (TVEP) Re-Authorization, House Bill 100." She reiterated Representative Wool's statement regarding the [subcommittee] having talked a bit about the TVEP program from the Department of Labor & Workforce Development's side of things during the Labor & Workforce Development Finance Subcommittee meeting last week. She said today will be an overview of the program, primarily regarding its impact and what the program actually does for the recipients. MS. CARRICK began with slide 2, "TVEP Program History." She stated that TVEP was established under AS 23.15.830 and TVEP was created in 2000. This program provides noncompetitive grant assistance to education entities in Alaska that are delivering specific vocational and technical training across the state. In 2014, she continued, the legislature increased the amount of funds used for TVEP from 0.15 percent of unemployment insurance receipts to the current amount of 0.16 percent. She said HB 100 would provide reauthorization until fiscal year 2024 (FY 24). MS. CARRICK addressed slide 3, "Types of Training TVEP Recipients Offer." She said some of the training offered by TVEP recipients includes aviation, fisheries, and construction, industries thought of as being technical and vocational training. Also included is training in renewable energy, health care, information technology, and others. MS. CARRICK turned to slide 4, "How TVEP Funding Gets Distributed." She said the main takeaway from the chart on this slide is that the 0.16 percent for TVEP is allocated from the unemployment insurance (UI) taxable wage base. Each year's allocation to recipients is set by statute. MS. CARRICK moved to slide 5, "TVEP Recipients Over Time." She pointed out that TVEP recipients have changed over time. When the program was first introduced in 2000 the three recipients were the University of Alaska, Kotzebue Training Center, and Alaska Vocational Technical Center. Added in 2001 was the Galena Project Education Training Center, eventually called the Galena Interior Learning Academy. Added in 2004 were the Southwest Alaska Vocational Education Center and the Yuut Elitnaurviat, Inc., People's Learning Center. MS. CARRICK displayed slide 6 and continued her review of the TVEP recipients over time. She said four new recipients were added in 2008: Partners for Progress Delta, Amundsen Educational Center, Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center, and the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS). The contribution to UAS, she noted, was for a brief period, partially because UAS is actually in the Community Campus System. 7:02:35 PM MS. CARRICK showed slide 7, "Current TVEP Recipients." She specified that the current TVEP recipients were reauthorized in 2014, which was when Ilisagvik College was added for a 5 percent allocation. The program was reauthorized in 2017 with the same 10 recipients. She noted that the location of the recipients is provided on the left-hand side of the slide and shows that they cover a wide range of Alaska's regions. She highlighted that the University of Alaska distributes its 45 percent allocation statewide. MS. CARRICK discussed slide 8, "TVEP Distributions." She noted that the FY 21 governor's amended distribution is what recipients expected to receive last year when the initial distribution list was put out. The red column, she continued, is the FY 21 COVID revised distribution, which was revised in June 2020 and was based on the draw from unemployment, so the 0.16 percent was impacted. The blue column was updated 1/11/21 and reflects a trend upward in the FY 21 numbers; it is what recipients will ultimately have received for FY 21 if the supplemental budget passes this year. The far-right column is the proposed FY 22 distribution, which was revised on 3/11/21, not 3/11/20 as depicted on the slide. This is what recipients should be able to expect this coming fiscal year should the program be reauthorized. 7:04:11 PM REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN stated that the years and numbers are different in his committee packet than what are on the slides being presented. MS. CARRICK replied that there was an update to that chart and to the presentation, which she will get to him. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY asked what the number of employees is each year that this calculation is based on. MS. CARRICK deferred to [the Department of Labor & Workforce Development] to answer the question. 7:05:47 PM PATSY WESTCOTT, Director, Division of Employment and Training Services, Department of Labor & Workforce Development, replied she doesn't have the number of employees in front of her at this time, but said she would get back to the committee with that specific information. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ inquired whether Representative McCarty is asking about the total number of workers in the state of Alaska. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY agreed that that is what he is asking. He said 2020 saw a very significant reduction in workers in Alaska with about 40,000 people, he believed, on unemployment. With that in mind, he asked what the FY 22 numbers might look like and when those numbers will be known. MS. WESCOTT confirmed that a decline was seen in the amount that was collected for TVEP from state FY 20 and what the department estimates state FY 21 to be as a result of the pandemic and the layoffs. She said the estimated difference is a decline of about 15.2 percent. The state FY 20 allocation for TVEP was slightly over $13.1 million, and the estimated allocation for state FY 21 is about $11.1 million. So, she continued, a decline of about $2 million in the revenues collected specifically for TVEP, which is a direct result of the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent shutdowns and layoffs. For state FY 22, the estimate is an increase to $12.1 million. As for the number of employees, she said she would get back to the committee with an answer. 7:09:37 PM MS. CARRICK concluded her presentation by stating that the sponsor's office is available to answer any questions. She noted that the Department of Labor & Workforce Development has worked closely with the sponsor on helping with understanding the numbers for the current distribution as well as last year being a unique situation. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ invited Ms. Teri Cothren to provide her presentation on HB 100. 7:10:29 PM TERI COTHREN, Associate Vice President, Workforce Development, University of Alaska (UA), provided a PowerPoint presentation titled "University of Alaska, Technical Vocational Education Program," dated 3/15/21, and supported reauthorization of TVEP. She began by thanking the co-chairs for providing this opportunity to speak about this important funding source to the university. She further thanked Representative Wool for sponsoring and introducing HB 100. She displayed slide 1 and said her presentation would provide: an overview of how the university as one of the TVEP recipients utilizes this funding source, some examples of how TVEP supports key industries in Alaska, and the types of graduate outcomes that are produced. MS. COTHREN moved to slide 2, "UA is the largest and most comprehensive workforce provider in Alaska," and stated that the University of Alaska is Alaska's system for higher education and includes three separately accredited universities that have distinct missions and are also responsible for the community college mission through 13 community campuses. All combined, it is the most comprehensive workforce provider in the state. The university's programs range from short-term career and technical education certificates all the way to doctorate degrees, and many of these programs are available statewide. MS. COTHREN turned to slide 3, "UA TVEP Process," and explained that as a TVEP recipient the university utilizes its funds as a single allocation with the UA system. She related that administration of the program is through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) or grant process by the UA Workforce Development Committee that includes representatives from each university and the Alaska Workforce Investment Board executive director. The funding is distributed as a result of process that is inclusive of all campuses and programs in the UA system that meets the funding priorities listed on the slide: [aligned with TVEP statutes, responsive to industry, strategic one-time infrastructure/equipment investments, develops and enhances partnerships]. This process supports collaboration and leveraging resources to increase efficiencies across the university and the state, while also maintaining flexibility to be responsive to industry and regional workforce needs. 7:12:30 PM MS. COTHREN discussed the two pie charts depicted on slide 4, "UA FY20 TVEP $5.6M Funding Distribution." She stated that the FY 20 UA TVEP allocation supports high priority industries in Alaska as depicted in the left chart, from oil and gas and mining, along with fisheries, maritime, and health, to name a few. As depicted in the right chart, funding is distributed across all six economic regions of the state. MS. COTHREN drew attention to slide 5, "UA TVEP FY20 Outcomes." She specified that TVEP served over 4,300 students in FY 20. She explained that the following slides would provide specific examples of how TVEP supports UA's ability to be responsive to Alaska's high-demand industries. She noted that for every example given there are many more that could be shared across these programs and campuses. She further noted that while TVEP is a critical funding source, it is not the only funding the university invests to address the workforce needs of these industries. MS. COTHREN showed slide 6, "Oil & Gas," and reported that the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis, projects that while the pandemic has slowed some employment growth in the oil and gas sector, long-term growth is still likely. She said TVEP investments that help meet oil and gas workforce demand and benefit this industry are expanded access to fabrication and 3D printing to over 50 engineering students annually for hands-on projects, and access to over 600 K-12 students during the summer for career exploration. The university leases shop and classroom space at the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center to provide University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) process tech students with the opportunity to work on state-of-the-art equipment. Also, the university invests in well-controlled training that helps the industry to meet safety requirements to prevent blowouts and promotes safe drilling practices. MS. COTHREN continued with slide 6. Regarding graduate employment outcomes, she said that this past year the university partnered with Research and Analysis to develop workforce reports that demonstrate graduate outcomes across nine key industries. The graduate employment data in this presentation, she continued, are from those reports. She drew attention to the three program areas highlighted on the slide that are in high demand and important to the oil and gas industry [engineering, process tech, welding]. For example, she reported, 90 percent of the process tech graduates find work within a year of graduating and have impressively high earnings, nearly $74,000 within their first year and more than $130,000 by their fifth year. It was also found that 93.5 percent of working graduates are Alaska residents compared to 70.9 percent for all oil and gas workers. 7:15:34 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ requested Ms. Cothren to give examples of a process tech degree and a process tech career. MS. COTHREN replied that the actual name is "Process Tech Degree" and it has occupational endorsements that are short term and all the way to a two-year associate degree. Many of those graduates work directly in the oil and gas industry, she said, for example at some of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline pump stations. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked what a process tech does. MS. COTHREN responded by saying, "Imagine a lot of levers and pipes, and it's about moving those through and managing the pressure levels and keeping things flowing." Responding further to Co-Chair Spohnholz, she confirmed there are a lot of process techs working on the pipeline. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ invited Representative Kaufman to elaborate on the aforementioned. REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN said it's all the things that a person must do to maintain control of the process. In a typical process there is everything from pressure, flow rates, temperature, he explained. Someone helping to control that is engaging in manipulating the various control devices, many of which are now automated, so a process tech is dealing with that and keeping the process running. 7:18:19 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY requested Ms. Cothren to differentiate between degree and certification. MS. COTHREN answered that occupational endorsement certification (OEC) is often a year or less, and a degree is the next level up of a certificate or Associates degree. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY inquired whether Ms. Cothren is also referring to a bachelor's degree or higher. MS. COTHREN replied correct. She explained that an OEC would be the first step in any of the university's degree pathways. The next step would be a certificate, then Associates degree, then Bachelor's degree, and then on to a graduate program. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY asked about the percentages of where students are ending their training; for example, what the percentages are for students earning a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, and so on. MS. COTHREN responded she would get that information to the committee. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ interjected that the university absolutely tracks all that information. 7:19:54 PM MS. COTHREN resumed her presentation. She displayed slide 7, "Health," and said the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis, projects that the health care sector, an already large industry, will grow at twice the rate of the economy overall by 2028. To help meet the needs in health care, she stated, TVEP investments have contributed to upgrades in technology that are shared across health programs. These investments have also contributed to program development or expansion in both urban and rural communities, including expanded access to nursing programs through distance delivery. In addition, TVEP investment has contributed to an expansion of hands-on experience through community and practicum placement of UA health science students that enhances the students' educational experience, connects them with industry partners for employment opportunities, and increases their competitiveness for graduate programs in high demand health careers such as pharmacy and physician assistants. MS. COTHREN continued addressing slide 7. She said the graduate employment outcomes highlight three program areas that are important to the health care industry [certified nurse aide, dental assistant, nursing]. The Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) can be completed in six weeks, providing a short path to employment. This also provides a pathway to continue towards a nursing degree that could increase the student's earning potential from $33,000 to over $50,000, and nearly $70,000 with five years of experience. Out of the 31 clinical health programs listed in the Health Workforce Report, more than 82 percent are working in Alaska within a year of graduating. MS. COTHREN presented slide 8, "Aviation," and related that Research and Analysis projects a decline of less than 2 percent in jobs in the aviation sector, but vacancies will continue within the 6,000-plus jobs needed by 2028. She said the TVEP investments benefitting the aviation industry include equipment and technology upgrades, along with the development of distance delivery aviation maintenance instruction. Online instruction provides students in remote locations around Alaska with access to the foundational knowledge required to become certified as a Federal Aviation Administration mechanic. MS. COTHREN continued speaking to slide 8. She pointed out that the graduate employment outcomes show strong wage growth - a jump of nearly 40 percent by year five for aviation maintenance graduates and 53 percent wage growth for those in aviation administration. As it takes time for pilots to earn their different ratings, the university anticipates a larger wage growth over time; for example, commercial pilots with experience have an earning potential of $89,000 and beyond as they gain more experience. 7:22:46 PM MS. COTHREN moved to slide 9, "Aviation Simulation Equipment," and noted that the three photos show examples of TVEP aviation investment in equipment upgrades. She said the top left photo is a professional piloting student practicing instrument flying in one of the two Redbird simulators that TVEP helped fund at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Aviation Technology Center. The top right photo is of a student and instructor approaching Merrill Field to land in one of the TVEP funded aircraft in UAA's professional piloting program. Regarding the bottom photo, she stated that TVEP helped upgrade the air traffic control technology that provides students cutting edge experience to prepare them for the rigorous four-month-long certification test at the Federal Aviation Administration's facility in Oklahoma City. MS. COTHREN proceeded to slide 10, "Mining," and specified that the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis, projects the mining industry to grow by 28 percent by 2028. To help meet the workforce needs in mining, TVEP investments have contributed to the delivery of hard skills mine training camps at the only all-encompassing underground and surface mine training camp in the world through UAF's Mining and Petroleum Training Service. Also, TVEP investment has supported several upgrades to equipment. MS. COTHREN continued addressing slide 10. She related that the graduate employment outcomes highlight three program areas important to the mining industry: mining operators, [power technology], and geological sciences. The graduate outcomes for the 44 programs evaluated in mining showed an average of 92.7 percent of working graduates are Alaska residents compared to 65.3 percent for all mining workers. The data clearly shows that hiring UA graduates significantly boosts the Alaska residency rate within the mining industry. On average, fifth year wages are higher than the average Alaska wage of nearly $60,000. Looking at the wage outcomes from all 44 programs in the mining report, on average the wages exceed $104,000 by the fifth year of employment. 7:25:10 PM MS. COTHREN moved to slide 11, "Fisheries, Seafood & Maritime." According to Research and Analysis, she said, by 2028 fisheries is expected to grow by 8 percent, seafood by 37.2 percent, and the maritime industry is projected to decrease by 1 percent. To help meet the workforce needs of these industries, TVEP investments have contributed to partnering with industry to train seafood processors for direct employment, maritime program development and expansion aligning to industry standards, and upgrading Ketchikan campus's maritime bridge simulator to a state-of-the-art whole mission simulator. MS. COTHREN continued with slide 11. Regarding the graduate employment outcomes, she shared that, overall, in the past 10 years the fisheries programs have produced 975 graduates for jobs in fisheries, marine biology, oceanography, and natural resource management. On average, 94.1 percent of the working graduates are Alaska residents compared to 66.3 percent for all workers in fisheries and marine science. MS. COTHREN explained that the photo on slide 12, "Maritime Bridge Simulator and Student Success," is of the full-mission simulator in the UAS Ketchikan Maritime Training Center. She said the quote on the slide is a Facebook post by a current student who had just completed her U.S. Coast Guard class. In her post she points out the capabilities of the new simulator being able to provide a variety of hands-on experiences. MS. COTHREN spoke to slide 13, "Information Technology." She stated that TVEP investments to support the workforce needs of the information technology (IT) industry include computer lab upgrades to provide virtual or remote access to increase students' hands-on experience, and revamp curriculum to meet industry needs and enhance employment in high demand IT occupations. Regarding graduate employment outcomes, she stated that more than 80 percent of computer and networking technology graduates work in Alaska one year following graduation. Because IT occupations support many industries across the state, she said it was interesting to find that 44 percent of the graduates are working in the public administration sector. MS. COTHREN displayed slide 14, "IT Student Success," and related the success story of UAF Community & Technical College (CTC) IT Specialist Program graduate Stephanie Harvey. Ms. Harvey is now an IT Specialist instructor for the program and recently received industry recognition for her work by Cisco. 7:30:08 PM MS. COTHREN turned to slide 15, "Construction," and specified that the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Research and Analysis, projects the construction industry to grow by 10.7 percent by 2028. To help meet the construction industry's workforce needs, TVEP investments have contributed to updating the apprenticeship technology degrees for UAA's Community & Technical College to be more accessible through online delivery. Also, TVEP has supported upgrades in equipment and helped fund hands-on training through the UAS Construction Program which partners with the Juneau Housing Trust and the Juneau School District to design and construct homes for low-income families in the Juneau area. MS. COTHREN continued with slide 15 and stated that the graduate employment outcomes highlighted in the construction report include [carpentry, civil engineering, and construction management]. Over the past 10 years, she said, nearly 2,000 graduates have been trained in programs leading to employment in carpentry, heavy truck and equipment driving, construction management, welding, civil engineering, and surveying. The average wages are $70,000 within five years of graduation. MS. COTHREN proceeded to slide 16, "Construction Student Success," and shared the story of Jessica Senter, who graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Construction Management from UAA. She related that Ms. Senter started her job as an assistant project manager the semester prior to graduation. MS. COTHREN moved to slide 17 and concluded her presentation by stating that the University of Alaska strongly supports the reauthorization of TVEP (HB 100) to provide a stable funding source to address Alaska's workforce needs. Specific to the current time, she said, TVEP is critical in helping support Alaska's economic recovery. As seen by the examples she provided, TVEP funds short-term career and technical education programs which serve the workforce needs of Alaska's key industries and will help re-skill and up-skill Alaskan's who have been displaced by the pandemic. Reauthorizing TVEP for at least three years will provide some of the stability needed to train Alaskans for jobs in Alaska and get them back to work as quickly as possible. 7:32:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN inquired about the process for deciding which training to provide. MS. COTHREN replied that part of it is looking at labor market information, such as some of the data she just reviewed, and looking at the workforce demand analysis that the Department of Labor & Workforce Development provides. The other part, she continued, is having local and regional conversations and partnerships with industry to ensure the university is meeting industry's workforce needs. 7:33:59 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ noted that the percentage of TVEP funds that have gone to the university has decreased from a peak of 63 percent in 2001 to about 45 percent now. She asked how this has impacted the university's allocation of TVEP funds and what the university has been able to do with those funds. MS. COTHREN responded that with funding the university can train more students and the university has made use of those dollars as most efficiently as it can. As funding has declined through the years the university has continued to try to find as many efficiencies to preserve the programs directly to serve as many of the students as it can. More funding certainly helps. The university partners with many of the other TVEP recipients, and it's important to provide that current type of education funding throughout the state to have access to training for as many students as possible. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ pointed out that the TVEP funds also leverage many other funds that the university is able to attract. She explained that in each of the program areas highlighted today, the university raises hundreds of thousands or many millions of dollars every year in private sector investment directly into these programs because the private sector also recognizes the value of these programs. One of the largest allocations within the university's use of TVEP funds is for health careers, which has been one of the high demand growth fields in Alaska for a very long time, but the health sector has also been a very large investor in health education. For example, Alaska hospitals have invested in nursing education and that has leveraged the TVEP funds. It all comes together to ensure that Alaska has the nurses, physician's assistants, and dental hygienists that the state needs to ensure its residents are healthy. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ noted that currently the smallest allocation is to the IT section, which is a new addition in TVEP allocation within the university. She requested Ms. Cothren to speak to how long the university has been doing that and where it might go in the future. MS. COTHREN answered that IT is a high-demand area that the university wants to support and has been supporting through TVEP funding throughout the years. The smaller allocation isn't necessarily by total design, she noted. The university has its internal competitive process and is dependent on those proposals being submitted internally. She said TVEP is one source of funding, and other university funds are being directed towards these workforce programs. It just might be that IT is utilizing other sources and partnering with industry differently to address those needs. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ shared that the computer science program at UAA is small when compared to other programs. But, she continued, given the way things are moving it could be imagined there might be some job growth in that area eventually, providing opportunity as Alaska diversifies its economy. 7:38:18 PM REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE inquired whether any of these programs are accessible off campus or whether they all require an in- person presence; for example, whether the IT program is accessible from the Bristol Bay campus. MS. COTHREN replied yes, many of the university's programs are accessible online, particularly now with the pandemic. She said that historically the university's career and technical education programs have been much more hands-on, but creative ways have been found to deliver online. For example, the Kenai Peninsula College through UAA used to have two locations of delivery for the process tech program one in Anchorage and one in Kenai. Some efficiency was found by moving the program and having many classes available online, effectively providing delivery from Kenai and providing more students with access to that program. Creative and flexible lab schedules were provided for students to come obtain their hands-on experience in Kenai. 7:40:01 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY referred to the Technical and Vocational Education Program Report for [state fiscal year] 2020 and requested an explanation of the last two columns in the chart on page 6. 7:41:22 PM LOUISE DEAN, Executive Director, Alaska Workforce Investment Board, Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD), responded that the TVEP recipients provide this information to the department and to Research and Analysis so that the report can be prepared. She allowed that the way it is reported is a bit confusing. She explained there is a measurement 1-12 months after exit, so the percentages show the number of participants who exited that are employed one year after exit. The percentages change as the length of time changes, such as 6 months, 7 months, or 12 months. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ stated that this is somewhat of a comparison of apples to oranges because some of these programs are high school programs and others are post-secondary, which accounts for some of the difference in terms of the employment numbers. 7:43:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY remarked that being able to differentiate between a high school student, certification student, and degree student would be helpful. He then noted, as examples, the figures of $80,000 for Partners for Progress and $30,000 for UA and inquired about these numbers. MS. DEAN answered that she would get the information and provide it to the committee. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ clarified that the TVEP money goes to the institutions, not the students. She explained that the numbers cited by Representative McCarty are the per pupil numbers - the amount of funds provided to the program divided by the number of students in that program. For programs with a smaller number of students, the per-pupil investment from TVEP is much higher. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY observed the current formula for the percent of TVEP money received by each institution. He inquired about rearranging the percentages so that those institutions good at performing would get more TVEP money. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ replied, "That is why we are here." 7:45:54 PM MS. CARRICK responded further to Representative McCarty's question. She drew attention to the Galena Interior Learning Academy and its median wage after exit and pointed out that this program serves a lot of high school students compared to the university or to Ilisagvik College, which is geared more towards adults in the community. These numbers have weight and merit, she continued, but in addition they are somewhat correlational in the sense that TVEP makes up different proportions of each program's total ability to provide education. For example, for the University of Alaska, TVEP provides a different proportion of funding for different programs in different parts of the state; the same is true for some of the other institutions. For some of the smaller institutions TVEP funding makes up a very large portion of the funds they receive overall for technical education; for others it makes up a smaller percentage. REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY stated it would be helpful to see the differentiation of where the students are from because in just looking at the figures it appears that there needs to be a realignment of the percentages. 7:47:30 PM REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE suggested that one thing which may be causing some of the disparity in wages for those that graduate these programs is that some of the programs are more specialized than others. The university offers a wide range of degree programs, he said, while some institutions offer just programs that typically have a high wage upon exiting the programs. REPRESENTATIVE WOOL noted that the Partners for Progress Delta, [whose graduates earn $80,000 in wages], seems to be the anomaly that's much higher than the rest. While some are low, many are in the $25,000-$40,000 range, he said, so he will look into whether Delta is producing highly specialized graduates. 7:48:53 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ stated that it is a very interesting and important program in that it helps ensure that Alaskans are getting hired in these high demand, high compensation careers. Alaska needs people to be doing this work. It must also be ensured that the state is making good use of its resources and currently the amount of funds for TVEP is lower because unemployment has been higher over the last 12 months, which is going to create additional pressure moving forward. However, it also underscores the importance of this program as people look to make a shift in their career path as often happens when their current career is interrupted. She thanked the sponsor for introducing the bill. [HB 100 was held over.}