Gaining access to supportive services is one of the most challenging barriers students face when seeking a career. A lack of childcare or reliable transportation can prevent them from completing training programs that lead to good-paying jobs. This is especially true of the growing number of non-traditional students across the country.
Today, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Todd Young (R-IN), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) reintroduced the Gateway to Careers Act to address these challenges. The bill was originally introduced by a bipartisan coalition in the Senate in 2019. Gateway to Careers supports students experiencing barriers to postsecondary access and completion, as well as those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. It does so by authorizing a new grant program in the Higher Education Act entitled the “Career Pathways Grant Program” for eligible career pathway partnerships.
Eligible career pathways partnerships can consist of:
Career pathway partnerships would be able to use this grant funding for:
The Gateway to Careers Act is an important step in an inclusive economic recovery from COVID-19. It’s essential that Congress and the administration pass this bill and invest in workers who have lost jobs because of the pandemic, or need upskilling to stay in their current jobs.