(a) There is hereby created the State Advisory Council on Postsecondary Attainment Goals. The council’s purpose is to ensure that students are provided opportunities to learn and earn the most relevant industry-demanded knowledge, skills, and credentials to prepare students for the challenges of college, careers, and life, while helping the state and its employers attain economic growth through collaboration with K-12 education leaders, employers and industry leaders, state agency leaders, the Higher Education Policy Commission, and the Council for Community and Technical College Education to identify high-value and in-demand postsecondary credentials, and to develop a plan to assist the state in achieving its postsecondary attainment goal of having 60 percent of West Virginians between the ages of 25 and 64 hold a degree, certificate, or other postsecondary workforce credential of value in the workplace by 2030.
(b) The State Advisory Council on Postsecondary Attainment Goals shall consist of the following members:
(1) The Chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission, or his or her designee;
(2) The State Superintendent of Schools, or his or her designee;
(3) The Secretary of the Department of Commerce, or his or her designee;
(4) The Director of WorkForce West Virginia, or his or her designee;
(5) Two presidents representing the state’s four-year institutions of higher education, at least one of which shall be the president of a regional institution, appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates;
(6) Two presidents representing the state’s community and technical colleges appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates;
(7) Representatives from at least two employers, industry associations, or chambers of commerce, appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates;
(8) Representatives from at least two regional economic development and workforce investment boards, appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House Delegates;
(9) The chair of the Senate Committee on Education as an ex officio nonvoting member;
(10) The chair of the House Committee on Education as an ex officio nonvoting member; and
(11) Any other individuals deemed appropriate and appointed jointly by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House Delegates.
(c) The council shall be chaired by the Chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission. The council shall meet at least quarterly and at the call of the chair. Quorum shall be a simple majority of the council. The administrative functions of the council are the responsibility of the joint staff of the Higher Education Policy Commission and the Council for Community and Technical Education.
(d) The council shall consult with and advise the Legislature on matters related to the progress toward achieving the state’s postsecondary attainment goal as established in subsection (a) of this section, including identifying high-value and in-demand postsecondary credentials. The council may:
(1) Make recommendations to the Legislature as required by this section;
(2) Provide guidance to the Legislature on potential statutory solutions relative to achievement of the state’s postsecondary attainment goal;
(3) Establish workgroups or subcommittees as the council considers necessary to address pertinent issues related to achievement of the state’s postsecondary attainment goal, and to provide consistency in the development of further regulation, if further regulation is determined to be necessary by the council;
(4) Consult with entities and persons with expertise in the areas being studied by the council as the council considers necessary in the fulfillment of its duties, including public and private sector partnerships; and
(5) Provide a forum for a full and fair discussion of issues relating to achievement of the state’s postsecondary attainment goal.
(e) The council shall provide leadership, strategic direction, and evaluation of the state’s investments in, and progress toward, implementing high-quality career and technical education programs that are accessible to all students and improves the career readiness of the state’s workforce by conducting an annual review of career and technical education offerings in K-12 and the state’s community college and technical education system to determine the alignment of existing offerings with employer demand, postsecondary degree or certificate programs, and professional industry certifications. The review shall identify career and technical education offerings that are linked to occupations that are in high-demand by employers, require high-level skills, and provide middle- and high-level wages. The review shall include analyses of:
(1) Participating students and their outcomes, including the following:
(A) Academic achievement;
(B) Attainment of industry certifications;
(C) Program completion;
(D) Applied learning experiences;
(E) College credit attainment through the career and technical education program, including dual enrollment or articulation;
(F) Postsecondary enrollment and credential attainment, including enrollment in four-year degree programs for state college system students; and
(G) Employment outcomes, including wages;
(2) Demographics of participating students by pathway and credential attainment;
(3) Educational settings of the courses;
(4) Alignment with high-growth, high-demand, and high-wage employment opportunities;
(5) Current and projected economic, labor, and wage data on the needs of the state, regional, and global economy and workforce;
(6) Alignment with certificate or degree programs offered at the postsecondary level or professional industry certifications;
(7) Employment outcomes, including wages, by career and technical education program offerings;
(8) Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship offerings;
(9) Qualifications and specialized knowledge and expertise of instructors and the opportunities for these educators to upskill in the latest in-demand skills of employers; and
(10) Extent to which federal, state, and local funding is used to foster career and technical education program success and program efficiency.
(f) The council shall report its findings to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability and the Joint Committee on Government and Finance by December 31, 2024, and annually thereafter until the council terminates, pursuant to the provisions of this section. The report shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) Conclusions and recommendations about the means to achieve the state’s postsecondary attainment goal;
(2) Recommendations for statutory and regulatory modifications, if the council determines that such modifications are necessary;
(3) Identification of any action that the Legislature may take to better foster awareness of the actions being taken to achieve the state’s postsecondary attainment goal; and
(4) Any other ancillary issues relative to achievement of the state’s postsecondary attainment goal.
(g) The State Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, the Department of Commerce, WorkForce West Virginia, the presidents of the state’s public institutions of higher education, and all other entities of state government shall cooperate with the council in the exchange of data, information, and expertise, if so requested by the council, including, but not limited to:
(1) Providing the entity’s plans to assist in achievement of the state’s postsecondary attainment goal;
(2) Identifying equity gaps among certain high-risk populations, including, but not limited to, returning adults, academically underprepared students, the economically disadvantaged, and underrepresented racial or ethnic minorities;
(3) Sharing information on the economic impact of achievement of the state’s postsecondary goal on the State of West Virginia;
(4) Providing an assessment of the benefits of implemented programs and activities aimed at achieving the state’s postsecondary attainment goal;
(5) Assisting in the development or revision of detailed action plans to achieve the state’s postsecondary attainment goal; and
(6) Providing resources required to implement the plan to achieve the state’s postsecondary attainment goal.
(h) The council and all provisions of this section shall terminate and no longer be in effect on December 31, 2027.