Pa. Senate approves bills supporting career prep for high demand jobs

The Pennsylvania Senate approved with bipartisan support Grow PA, a package of bills allowing students to pursue post-secondary education and career preparation.

Senate Bills 1150 and 1151 are sponsored by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Scott Martin, R-Lancaster. The bills are designed to create and expand programs connecting students to high-demand careers in Pennsylvania. High-demand industries include agriculture, computer science, criminal justice, business, education, engineering, nursing, trades, special education, STEM education and allied health.

“Pennsylvania faces serious economic and demographic challenges in the years ahead as more and more of our young people are pursuing education and employment opportunities in other states,” Martin said in a statement. “Grow PA sends a powerful message that if young people are willing to learn here and put down roots here, we’re willing to invest in their future in Pennsylvania.”

The Grow PA package will make education and career training more affordable and provide incentives for students to work in Pennsylvania for a period following completion of their degrees and certifications.

Senate Bill 1150 would create the?Grow PA Scholarship Grant Program. Grants of up to $5,000 per year would be provided for in-state students who attend college in Pennsylvania, pursue a degree in a high-demand industry, and agree to live and work in that industry in Pennsylvania after graduation.

Grant recipients would be required to live and work in Pennsylvania for at least 15 months for each year they accept the grant. If this requirement was not met, the grant would be converted to a loan that must be repaid.

Senate Bill 1151 would create the?Grow PA Merit Scholarship Program. The program would help attract high-performing out-of-state students to Pennsylvania educational programs in Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools. The merit scholarships would allow students pursuing in-demand occupations to pay tuition at in-state rates, rather than out-of-state rates.

As is the case for the scholarship program for in-state students, merit scholarship recipients would be required to live and work in Pennsylvania after graduation, or have the scholarships converted to loans.

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