Staff Reports
A bill authored by Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, that would provide Hoosier students with better educational opportunities to align their skills with the needs of Indiana’s utility industries recently passed the Indiana Senate.
Senate Bill 195 focuses on creating vocational education pathways for students to the electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water and wastewater industries by directing the Indiana State Board of Education (SBOE) and the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet to create a Utility Career and Technical Education Cluster. SB 195 would also ensure that career clusters and courses created by the SBOE will consider whether the course or sequence of courses is tied to high-wage, high-demand career opportunities.
“Our state’s utility industry is experiencing a shortage of skilled workers,” Koch said. “These jobs are high-paying with good benefits. This bill will ensure that our vocation-educational system is aligned with industry needs.”
This legislation now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
Koch, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, serves Senate District 44, which includes all or parts of Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, Lawrence and Monroe counties.
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For more information on Senate Bill 195, visit https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/Senate/195.
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