Latest news with #A+
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri lawmakers create pathway for free career-tech education
Rep. Ann Kelley, R-Lamar speaks at a House Children and Family committee hearing on foster kids' benefits Jan. 22, 2025 (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). Missouri high school graduates may soon be able to attend career-certificate programs for free after state lawmakers passed a bill creating a reimbursement process for career and technical education. The legislation now awaits Gov. Mike Kehoe's signature or veto. 'This will increase (the workforce) astronomically,' said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar. 'And it's great for the kids who are in those career tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.' Kelley, who filed the bill in the House, told The Independent that she got the idea for the legislation after talking to a student. He was eligible for the state's A+ Program, which pays for two years of public community college, and he wanted to use the funds to train for his commercial driver's license. But his goal of operating a dump truck business was derailed when he realized that the state's program wouldn't cover the type of education he needed. So Kelley proposed a new program — one with eligibility requirements mirroring the A+ Program but to fund career-certificate programs. To qualify, students will need to graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, at least 95% attendance rate, 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and achieve proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam. The Missouri Senate added another path to eligibility, opening the door to students with high school career-tech certificates. 'Currently a student who wants to obtain a certificate or license right out of high school… must pay for these out of pocket because the courses are too short to qualify for the A+ reimbursement program and are not Pell eligible,' Kelley said in a committee hearing in February. 'These students are typically ones who are not interested in going to a two-year or four-year school.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Some students use the state's Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant to pay for training and licensing, but the program requires participants to be at least 25 years old. Some students take jobs outside their career path to pass the time and avoid shelling out thousands for their certificate, Kelley said, but this legislation seeks to 'fill the gap.' To pay for the grants, the bill sets up a fund managed by the State Treasurer's Office. Funding would have to be appropriated annually by the state's general assembly, though the fund would also be open for donations. The state estimates a cost of up to $3.3 mil in 2028, according to a fiscal note. Kelley is 'positive' that Kehoe will sign the bill given his vocal support for career-tech initiatives. In his inaugural State of the State speech in January, Kehoe placed an emphasis on career and technical education and called for a work group to bolster CTE programs. The legislation has also generated support from advocacy groups. In committee, lobbyists from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri National Education Association spoke in favor of the idea. 'Skilled technical talent is a major asset to Missouri employers across all industries,' the chamber of commerce's lobbyist Cade Tremain said in a hearing in February. The legislation received wide support, drawing just two 'no' votes in the House and one in the Senate. It ultimately passed as part of a large higher education package with bipartisan support.
Rudaw Net
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Kurdish community's political engagement in Germany ‘well known': Social consultant
Also in World Former Kurdish MP in Germany seeks re-election amid political shifts Kurdish diaspora need greater political engagement: Ex-member in Berlin State Parliament Germany votes in high-stakes snap election Germany needs better integration for immigrants, says Kurdish candidate A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurds in Germany are well known in politics and play an active role in society, according to Kamil Bazrgan, a social consultant who spoke to Rudaw on Sunday, just hours before polls closed in the country's federal elections. In a televised interview with Rudaw's Hemin Abdulla, Bazrgan stated that Kurdish candidates in Germany's federal elections are 'well known,' emphasizing the Kurdish community's active participation in German politics. He cited official government data estimating the Kurdish population in Germany at around 1.3 million, though he noted that it could be higher. Many Kurds hold citizenship and have the right to vote, he elaborated. Bazrgan also discussed refugee representation in German politics, noting that while 30 percent of Germany's population consists of refugees, most have obtained German citizenship. He highlighted that 11.4 percent of representatives in the outgoing federal parliament descend from refugee families, though the representation is lower at the state level. He pointed out that nearly 10 million refugees in Germany - 41.4 percent of the total refugee population - lack voting rights due to not having citizenship. He also observed a decline in voter turnout among refugees compared to previous years, with refugees not necessarily supporting leftist parties. On Sunday, Germans went to the polls in high-stakes federal parliamentary elections, with the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leading in opinion polls and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) projected to secure around 20 percent of the vote. A total of 630 parliamentary seats were up for grabs, with over 59 million eligible voters. According to a recent poll by Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's state-owned international broadcaster, immigration and economic issues were among the most pressing concerns for voters. Among the candidates running in the elections, 12 Kurds represented various parties. While most Kurds in Germany support center-left parties, some are affiliated with the center-right CDU, which recently faced backlash for cooperating with the AfD on an anti-immigration bill. On Sunday, Giyasettin Sayan, a former Kurdish politician in Germany, told Rudaw that the Kurdish community needs to establish its 'own associations and institutions.' He emphasized that 'such initiatives are crucial for preserving Kurdish heritage and securing future generations' rights.'
