Bureaucracy pulls reigns on students’ education

Certifications and skills-based education are the future of K20 education.

In 2021, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 1507, known as the “REACH Act” – Reimagining Education And Career Help. It was passed with much enthusiasm as it aimed to bring a more inclusive and integrated approach to how we train for today's future of work.

Since 2021, Florida has witnessed much success thanks to the bill’s reforms and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ leadership. Florida now enjoys:

• Record numbers of CTE students enrolled in its public schools.

• Record numbers of apprentices and participating employers.

• Record completions in its college workforce programs.

• Record numbers of adult learners enrolled in integrated education and training programs.

• A renewed commitment and enthusiasm for elevating Floridians with disabilities.

• A first-of-its-kind interagency workforce data dashboard to help colleges and universities meet workforce needs.

Despite the progress, the REACH Act came with some inefficiencies, additional bureaucracy and a frustrated field of educators. Among the bill’s hiccups is the creation of the Credentials Review Committee – a new statutorily appointed committee under CareerSource’s state workforce board, of which I used to be a member.

Together with the State Board of Education, the CRC is primarily responsible for determining what credentials, certifications, certificates, and degrees (yes, degrees) are valuable to the state. Being added to the “Master Credentials List” not only signifies importance in the eyes of the state; in many cases, it comes with hundreds of millions of dollars to school districts, colleges, universities and teachers in the form of direct performance money and teacher bonuses. In short, the idea is that money drives behavior.

Unfortunately, both the SBE and CRC recently passed on the addition of multiple in-demand certifications leading to middle- to high-wage jobs: Microsoft Office, Google Workspace and Adobe certifications.

They also have no mechanism for incentivizing those essential “human” or “soft” skills employers increasingly now insist upon.

Certifications – third-party validation of one’s mastery of in-demand skills — matter for economic progress. Florida is right to emphasize their attainment and insist on funding them only if they link to in-demand, high-paying occupations. However, the SBE and CRC continue to miss the mark in critical areas. For example, Google Workspace skills dominate Florida’s small business operations. And while they enjoy the lion’s share of office suite products, in addition to over 58% of school districts using Google Workspace, these certifications are without a place on the coveted MCL. Moreover, as two recent surveys showed – one by McKinsey and another by The Florida Chamber – the proportion of businesses demanding empathy, communication and other interpersonal skills doubled since 2019.

During this Legislative Session, I hope to witness significant reforms in this area, and not just because I was once responsible for implementing the bill. Rather, my interest is student-driven.

Certifications and skills-based education are the future of K20 education. Suppose Florida continues to let bad government and bureaucracy get in the way. In that case, it will never become what the Governor has rightly charged it to become – the No. 1 in the nation for workforce education.

Henry Mack is the former Senior Chancellor at the Florida Department of Education, overseeing higher education and workforce education. He currently serves as the Director of Higher Education and Workforce for TSG Advisors and as a lobbyist at The Southern Group.