The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has issued a call for stakeholder input on a revised and expanded list of industry-based certifications to be used for public school accountability. The previous list consisted of 73 industry-based certifications and lacked alignment with local workforce needs. The Chamber has been a staunch advocate for expanding the list to better fit local industry employment demand. The proposed list includes more than 200 industry-based certifications and adds the following industry clusters:
- Arts,
- AV tech and communications,
- Education and training,
- Hospitality and tourism, and
- Law, public safety, corrections, and security.
The expansion is the result of 4,000 responses to an initial call put out by TEA several months ago. In this final stage of vetting, TEA needs stakeholder feedback to prepare to put the list into effect in the 2019 – 2020 school year. Public comment period is open now through Monday, February 4, 2019. The proposed list and details about how the list was developed can be found at the following website:
https://tea.texas.gov/cte/. To submit comments electronically visit:
https://form.jotform.com/83614692700154.
San Antonio and Bexar County have unique industry demands, and one of the best ways to bolster our workforce readiness is to embed industry-based certificates in public schools. This is an opportunity for the business community to ensure its voice is reflected in the final version of the list. If you have additional questions regarding the public comment process, contact Avery Barrera, statewide CTE coordinator at TEA at
avery.barrera@tea.texas.gov.
