The Congress is considering a proposal by the U.S. Department of Education to consolidate existing federal vocational and adult education activities into "national programs" and distribute block grants to the states. A draft of the proposed legislation has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for approval. The proposal, known as the "Vocational and Adult Education Consolidation Act," aims to repeal the Adult Education Act and the Vocational Education Act of 1963, both of which are set to expire in 1984, and establish new programs until 1987.
The proposed legislation aligns with the Reagan Administration’s 1983 budget request for $500 million to fund all adult and vocational education. It consolidates eight federal vocational-education programs and three adult-education programs into a combined state and national program. The Act’s objective is to promote economic development by enhancing vocational-education programs to meet the demands of the economy, while ensuring accessibility for individuals of all ages and educational backgrounds. The state and national activities foster collaboration between vocational-training programs and the employment and workforce needs of individual states, involving industry, business, labor, education, and other groups. The draft legislation significantly differs from a proposal to amend the vocational education act that circulated in late summer, representing a substantial departure from current federal provisions.
According to the proposal, 10 percent of the annual total appropriation for the consolidation act will be allocated to national activities, which will be funded at the discretion of the Secretary of Education. These activities include establishing a National Center for Research in Vocational and Adult Education, implementing programs to promote vocational education in Indian tribes and organizations based on tribal economic development plans, addressing the needs of students with limited proficiency in English, developing an occupational-information data system, and supporting studies, projects, and programs that address the national need for skilled workers.
The proposal also requires the implementation of a program that provides support for special projects aimed at addressing critical shortages of skilled manpower that the nation requires. A separate amount of money will be authorized for this program. Under the draft proposal, states will have broad discretionary authority in planning, developing, administering, and operating their programs. The allotments to states will be computed based on formulas considering per capita income, unemployment levels, and population size within the 15-to-64 age range. Despite this discretionary power, states will be obligated to allocate their funds as follows: spend 30 percent of the state allotment on activities that promote economic development and skilled workforce training, such as training programs to attract new industry; spend 30 percent to strengthen state and local systems of vocational education, ensuring participation of all individuals, including those who are educationally disadvantaged, handicapped, and have limited English proficiency, in programs designed to provide job skills and foster economic development (with emphasis on young people who are not in school and reside in economically depressed areas); and spend 16 percent to expand adult-educational opportunities that foster basic skills and the completion of secondary school. The proposed legislation also establishes a Presidentially appointed National Advisory Council on Vocational and Adult Education, with a separately authorized budget. The majority of council members must be individuals from outside the field of education.
In contrast to the Vocational Education Act of 1963, which aims to reduce sex discrimination and bias in vocational programs, the current proposal does not explicitly mention sex equity, and there are no funds set aside specifically for this purpose, as well as for the education of handicapped and disadvantaged students, or consumer and homemaking education. The administrative requirements and federal oversight provisions in the draft legislation are also significantly reduced compared to the current vocational-education law. However, the current regulations are also undergoing extensive revision separately, and a new regulations package under the existing law may take effect before the proposed new law is approved or rejected by Congress. The Administration’s budget documents indicate that the new legislation will be presented to Congress in the next month. If Congress were to approve it quickly without modifications (which is unlikely according to observers), the law would come into effect on July 1, 1982.
