NO to HB 3452

I urge you to vote NO on HB 3452, a bill that threatens the success of West Virginia’s adult workforce training programs by shifting them away from our established Career Technical Education (CTE) Centers. For years, adult workforce training programs have thrived under the guidance of local county boards of education within CTE Centers. These centers have built strong partnerships with four-year colleges, allowing students to earn college credit while completing their training—a system that has proven far more successful than partnerships with two-year colleges. Additionally, CTE Centers maintain robust connections with employers and local workforce development agencies such as WorkForce WV and Chambers of Commerce, ensuring that students receive training aligned with real-world job demands. If HB 3452 passes, student choice and access will be significantly restricted. Many students, including older adults and veterans, need direct-to-workforce training without the added burden of college enrollment requirements. Right now, CTE Centers serve all students, providing them with financial aid options such as Pell Grants, WIOA, Vocational Rehab, HEAPS, and VA funding. If a CTE Center does not currently offer these funding sources, they should be allowed to partner with their local community college—not be forced into a system that doesn’t align with their mission. Our programs are designed to prepare students for national and state certifications and licensure, equipping them with the skills needed to enter the workforce immediately. The for-profit model being proposed in HB 3452 raises serious concerns. Why should we hand over successful, nonprofit programs—ones built around student success and business partnerships—to an entirely different system that does not have the same track record? Community and Technical Colleges (CTCs) were created to provide a seamless transition from high school to higher education, not to duplicate or take over workforce training programs. Their focus is on college credit, and it should remain that way. In fact, some CTCs are currently under investigation for misuse of funding, and one has even been banned from clinical training spaces in a major hospital network. Beyond these concerns, HB 3452 also creates a serious safety issue. Under this bill, adult students and secondary students would be placed in the same buildings, with CTE Centers having no authority over the adult student or teacher population. This is not just impractical—it’s unsafe. West Virginia’s Advanced Career Education (ACE) programs are successful, proven, and essential to our state’s workforce development. Moving these programs into the CTC system would be a step backward, diminishing student choice, limiting access to training, and jeopardizing well-established employer partnerships. Please protect the integrity of our CTE Centers and the future of West Virginia’s workforce by voting NO on HB 3452.