On Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation requiring Alabama high school students to have achieved certain college or career benchmarks to graduate from high school. The legislation also creates a database of credentials and the workers in the state that have earned those credentials.
House Bill 109 (HB109) is sponsored by State Rep. Terri Collins. HB109 is titled the Career Pathways Act.
“Students, in order to graduate, will have to have a college-ready indicator or a career-ready indicator,” Collins said.
Collins explained that a college-ready indicator may be achieving an ACT benchmark score, completing an advanced placement class, or taking dual enrollment classes.
Collins said that a career-ready indicator may be completing an apprenticeship program, workforce training, or receiving a credential in a career.
HB109 creates the Alabama College and Career Readiness Act, the Alabama Credential Quality and Transparency Act as a new Division, and the Alabama Terminal on Linking and Analyzing Statistics on Career Pathways Act. To make it easier for employers and workers to navigate the increasingly complex system of credentials needed to apply for positions in the 21st-century economy, it provides for the creation of a free searchable public online registry of educational and occupational credentials. The act includes restrictions on releasing personally identifiable information, including procedures for handling data breaches.
Collins explained that “schools will let students know what are the in-demand jobs in their area” and what degrees, credentials, or other qualifications are needed to pursue that.
Rep. Steve Hurst thanked Collins for bringing the Legislation.
“I have been preaching for workforce development since I got here,” Hurst said. “We have got to get the workforce. If we don’t, businesses will not come here because we don’t have the workforce, and when the businesses that are here get ready to expand, they will go elsewhere because they don’t have the workforce here.”
Hurst is an original co-sponsor of the Legislation.
The issue of how high schools will offer the career training students will need was discussed.
“We have funding in the budget for schools that may need to advance their career tech training,” Collins explained. These include funding for medical labs, construction labs, welding labs, etc., and will be awarded through a grant process.
Collins said HB109 is supported by the Alabama State Board of Education, which is already implementing these changes.
“This is codifying something that the school board has already done,” Collins said. “We want to make sure that students have all the opportunities possible.”
HB109 passed the House of Representatives 104 to 0. 80 members of the House signed on as co-sponsors.
Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter said, “Congratulations, Terry – good bill.”
The Legislation now goes to the Alabama Senate, where it has been assigned to the Alabama Education Policy Committee.
Thursday was the seventh legislative day of the Alabama 2023 regular legislative session.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
