[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 140 (Thursday, October 8, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S11985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY:
  S. 2591. A bill to provide certain secondary school students with 
eligibility for certain campus-based assistance under title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965; to the Committee on Labor and Human 
Resources.


                      TECH-PREP OPPORTUNITIES ACT

 Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, today I introduce a piece of 
legislation that, I believe, takes an important step toward giving more 
individuals the ability to earn good wages so that they can support 
themselves and their families. This bill will allow community colleges 
to use their campus-based student aid to assist students who are 
concurrently enrolled in a high school and in a vocational-technical 
program in a community college. This legislation helps us solve a 
national problem, but it also helps more young people achieve the 
American Dream.
  We must recognize that a degree from a four-year college or 
university is not the only ticket to a successful, productive life. 
Only 60% of high school graduates enroll in college, and only 20% end 
up with a four-year degree. Community colleges are playing an 
increasingly important role in helping the other 80% of our students 
obtain the advanced technical training that is vital to our economy and 
to their futures.
  Today the Senate also passed the conference report that will 
reauthorize vocational education. I am pleased to have played a role in 
this process. At my request the conferees have included language that 
will encourage institutions to investigate opportunities for tech-prep 
secondary students to enroll concurrently in secondary and 
postsecondary coursework. The bill that I am introducing today builds 
upon this concept in a tangible way.
  As we address the need for highly skilled workers in Nebraska and 
throughout the nation, we must change the way that we think about our 
education system, and especially the way that we think about those 
students who are on the verge of graduation. We must make certain that 
a high school diploma has real value, that it says to an employer, ``I 
have the skills and the knowledge to make a valuable contribution to 
your business.''
  This legislation allows community colleges to offer a helping hand to 
students who are still in high school but have exhausted the 
vocational-technical offerings and are ready and able to enroll in such 
programs at a community college. Throughout the nation many students 
are already dually enrolled, but either the school district pays the 
tuition or the student must pay it. In Nebraska, more than 100 students 
in Omaha Public Schools are dually enrolled. And more than 50 in 
Bellevue Public Schools are dually enrolled. Some students have the 
ability to enroll in a vocational-technical program, but they do not 
have the financial means. By making this change in law, community 
colleges can assist those students if they choose to do so.
  With a Federal commitment of $7,400,000 last year, Nebraska provided 
vocational and applied technology education to approximately 70,000 
secondary students and 47,800 postsecondary students. This money is a 
wise investment, but we need to do more.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress next year to 
further our commitment to preparing our young people to achieve the 
American Dream.
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