Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Career and Technical Education Opportunity Act”.
Career and Technical Education Opportunity Act
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the definition of eligible program.
Sec. 2 Expansion of eligible programs
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) is amended—
in section 481(b), by adding at the end the following:
“(5)
“(A) For purposes of parts D and E, the term eligible program includes a program of not less than 250 clock hours of instruction, offered during a minimum of 5 weeks of instruction that leads an industry-recognized credential.
“(B) In this paragraph, the term industry-recognized credential means an industry-recognized credential that—
“(i) is demonstrated to be of high quality by the institution offering the program in the program participation agreement under section 487;
“(ii) meets the current, as of the date of the determination, or projected needs of a local or regional workforce for recruitment, screening, hiring, retention, or advancement purposes—
“(I) as determined by the State in which the program is located, in consultation with business entities; or
“(II) as demonstrated by the institution offering the program leading to the credential; and
“(iii) is, where applicable, endorsed by a nationally recognized trade association or organization representing a significant part of the industry or sector.”
in section 487(a), by adding at the end the following:
“(30) In the case of an institution that offers a program of not less than 250 clock hours of instruction, offered during a minimum of 5 weeks of instruction that leads an industry-recognized credential, as provided under section 481(b)(5), the institution will demonstrate to the Secretary that the industry-recognized credential is of high quality.”