New law creates Career-Tech Certificate for Missouri students

A state law that takes effect Thursday will create a program designed to help fill job vacancies in various trade skills. 

Republican State Representative Ann Kelley of Lamar carried the bill in the Missouri House. 

She says it includes the Career-Tech Certificate program:

 “Have you called for a plumber lately? Or have you called for an electrician and how long is that wait and how expensive are they? So, if we get more people in those programs, we’ll have less wait time and maybe they won’t be quite as expensive.”

Once it’s up and running, the Career-Tech Certificate program will cover the cost of books, tuition, and fees for eligible students at community colleges, tech schools, and industry-approved training programs. 

The overall bill will also lower the minimum age to attend adult high school from 21 to 18 and increase awards offered through the Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program.