BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Senate Commerce and Human Resources Committee passed Senate Bill 1390 (S1390) after a short period of comments to reassess how the state will determine what constitutes an in-demand career.
Idaho lawmakers approved Idaho Launch in 2023 behind the direction of Governor Brad Little (R-Idaho). It offers up to 80% off job training and tuition for qualifying high school seniors entering an approved field; scholarships are capped at $8,000 each.
The Idaho Workforce Development Council is tasked with determining in-demand career fields. State law, as passed in the 2023 legislation, offers two points to guide their hierarchy of careers - the number of job openings and projected job growth.
"When you take those two variables and look at the data, you can come up with some odd combinations. An example is a waitress would show up as an in-demand job there," S1390 sponsor Sen. Dave Lent (R-Idaho Falls) said. "We're really trying to target those high return jobs, and then help direct our students as they look at what they want to do in their careers."
S1390 proposes the following amendment to the definition of "in-demand careers" in current state statute: "A positive economic output for the state of Idaho and increase economic mobility for the people of Idaho. Factors including but not limited to the number of openings, the rate of growth, the transferability of skills, the length of training program, and the wage potential maybe incorporated..."
Careers demanding a master’s degree or higher would be cut from the program if this legislation were to become law.
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