Laws | Regulations | Non-Regulatory Guidance | Resources

Laws

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act authorizes the federal career and technical education program. On July 31, 2018 President Trump signed into law the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act(Public Law 115-254), which reauthorizes the program through Fiscal Year 2024.

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, which authorizes the federal adult education program, is Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Regulations

Adult Education

On August 19, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education issued final regulations for programs and activities authorized by the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act).

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

On August 19, 2016, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor issued final regulations to implement jointly administered activities authorized by Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, including provisions related to Unified and Combined State Plans, performance accountability, and the one-stop system.

Career and Technical Education

The U.S. Department of Education has not issued regulations for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act.

Non-Regulatory Guidance

Adult Education

• Vision for the One-Stop Delivery System under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (August 2015)
• Vision for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act in the Workforce System and Initial Implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (August 2015)
• Program Memorandum on Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (January 2016)
• Joint Guidance on Data Matching to Facilitate WIOA Performance Reporting and Evaluation (August 2016)
• WIOA Performance Accountability Guidance (December 2016)
• Infrastructure Funding of the One-Stop Delivery System (January 2017)
• One-Stop Operations Guidance for the American Job Center Network (January 2017)
• Use of Supplemental Wage Information to Implement the Performance Accountability Requirements under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (June 2017)
• Establishing Expected Levels of Performance and Negotiated Levels of Performance for Program Years (PY) 2018–19 and 2019–20 (February 2018)
• Technical Assistance regarding the Submission Deadline for the Unified and Combined State Plans under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for Program Years (PYs) 2020-2023 and Other Related Requirements (February 2020)
• Negotiations and Sanctions Guidance for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Programs (February 2020)

Career and Technical Education

• Guidance on Gender Equity in Career and Technical Education (June 2016)
• Guidance on Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and Educator Preparation (March 2023)

Resources

Military Credentialing

The U.S. Armed Forces invests billions of dollars to train military personnel in a range of occupational specialties to support its mission and to maintain a strong national defense. Some of the occupations are military-specific , such as infantry and fighter pilots, for example, but there are many occupations that are equivalent to civilian occupations, such as nurses, doctors, and medics. However, when service members leave the military, they often encounter lengthy processes to obtain civilian employment or academic credit for skills they obtained in military training. There have been ongoing efforts, however, to help rectify the difficulties of securing civilian credentials for military training. In an effort to increase awareness of how states and institutions of higher education are addressing this important issue, we have compiled links to resources, promising practices, and policies that promote awarding academic credit at institutions of higher education for prior military training and experience.

• The State of Credentialing of Service Members and Veterans: Challenges, Successes, and Opportunities. This report from the American Legion highlights the challenges faced by service members and veterans in attaining civilian occupational credentials.
• The Education Commission of the States has produced a national overview of state policies to award college students with academic credit for military experience, as well as individual state profiles.
• Veterans Licensing and Certification Demonstration: A Summary of State Experiences, Preliminary Findings, and Cost Estimate. This report from the National Governors Association documents the strategies and experiences of six states that were selected as demonstration pilots to build and implement pathways to licensure and certification for veterans.
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