{"id":17376,"date":"2013-03-13T12:44:05","date_gmt":"2013-03-13T16:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=17376"},"modified":"2013-03-13T12:45:08","modified_gmt":"2013-03-13T16:45:08","slug":"senate-committee-approves-bill-expanding-job-training-financial-education-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2013\/03\/13\/senate-committee-approves-bill-expanding-job-training-financial-education-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Committee Approves Bill Expanding Job Training, Financial Education Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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marchewka18\/flickr<\/p>

Financial literacy is part of a proposed law designed to better prepare students for life after graduation.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Senate committee has approved a bill which would change requirements for certain degree programs in Florida, designating some as \u201chigh demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Career and Professional Education Act<\/a>, known as CAPE, would also require high school students to take a financial literacy course.<\/p>\n

The bill is a priority for Senate President Don Gaetz.<\/a><\/p>\n

The legislation \u2013 SB 1076 — is designed to make sure students are prepared to earn a living once their schooling is done.<\/p>\n

Robin Warren with the Florida Council on Economic Education<\/a> is particularly happy the bill requires\u00a0lessons in money management.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudent loan debt is now in this country a trillion dollars,\u201d Warren said. \u201cThe average debt of students when they get out college is now nearly $30,000, and the average 18- to 24-year-old now uses 30 percent of their income to retire the debt that they\u2019ve accrued.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jim Horne, a lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, said adding a career preparation component to the system is long overdue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think that in today\u2019s very technical world,\u201d Horne said, \u201cthat our students need to have critical thinking skills in almost every occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Florida has thousands of jobs going unfilled because the state isn\u2019t producing enough students with the necessary skills.<\/p>\n

Universities could get more money just by offering programs in high demand fields.<\/p>\n

Three areas would be designated for university performance funding:<\/em><\/p>\n

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  1. Computer and information technology<\/li>\n
  2. High-demand programs the Florida Board of Governors will identify.<\/li>\n
  3. Cloud computing and related large data management.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The bill requires:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n