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Swearingen Focuses on Career-Tech Pathways Legislation

May 21, 2021
D. J. Swearingen News

State Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) announces that he has introduced House Bill 303, which takes steps to ensure more pathways regarding career-readiness options are available for students across the state. Swearingen recently introduced the bill into the Ohio House.

“This is all about giving more opportunity for our students to seek out more in demand careers such as skilled trades jobs that are high-paying and will help advance our state’s workforce.”

The bill creates the following pathways: 

  • Incentivizes Ohio companies to operate work-based learning programs for high school career-tech and career center students;
  • Establishes an incentive program to improve and expand upon career-technical education programing. The grant will offer tax incentives for participating businesses, including a credit on 15% of the income tax that an employer must remit to the state on behalf of the student-worker;
  • Seeks to allow the BWC to offer discounts on premium rates for employers participating in the program;
  • Supports driver’s education courses as part of high-school career tech and career center graduation pathways. To combat the issue where students engaging in current work-based learning programs are unable to actually get to work;
  • Ensures permanent access to remote technical training and learning; and
  • Establishes the Student Pathways for Career Success grant program for Ohio’s Career Technical Schools.

“Currently, in Ohio, there is a social stigma pushing our kids away from viable, high-paying skilled trades jobs such as plumbers, mechanics, electricians, etc. and towards the traditional four-year college degree,” Swearingen added. “While college is the right choice for some, many students enter college unmotivated or unprepared.”

Swearingen has previously led this effort on this issue when he introduced similar legislation during the 133rd General Assembly.

“If we can engage high-school students, and enable them to participate in work-based learning opportunities, we can help them find their student purpose, which will help reduce remediation and college debt in Ohio. There is a real need for these in-demand, skilled-trade jobs and this is one way we can work to fill them,” Swearingen concluded.

Currently, House Bill 303 has been referred to the House Economic and Workforce Development Committee where it awaits its first hearing.