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Labor department details AVTEC expansion, STEP/TVAP authority changes and licensing reforms
Summary
Department officials described AVTEC expansions (equipment and seat increases), corrected a fund-source error (reporting $660,000 supplemental as STEP not UGF), proposed moving STEP/TVAP authority into statutory language to enable mid‑year grant distributions, and outlined certificate-of-fitness and licensing reforms.
Dan DeBartolo, administrative services director for the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, told the House Finance subcommittee on Jan. 28 that a $660,000 supplemental approved to expand AVTEC’s industrial electricity program was STEP-funded, not UGF as originally shown in materials.
"That 660,000 in supplemental went to largely equipment ... and it was eventually approved as STEP," DeBartolo said, correcting the record and thanking legislative fiscal analyst Valerie Rose for pointing out the discrepancy.
DeBartolo described the AVTEC expansion: equipment purchases to increase industrial electricity seats from 15 to 30, an ongoing search for a second industrial electricity instructor (personal services request of roughly $182,300), and temporary lab space that currently houses students while construction and classroom moves progress. He noted AVTEC was recently recognized in national coverage (cited as USA Today) and that the new AVTEC director, Dr. Corey Ortiz, moved from the University of Alaska system to lead the Seward technical center.
The department also recommended moving STEP and TVAP distribution authority from fixed line items into the language section of appropriations bills so that, when quarterly actuarial projections show additional STEP/TVAP revenue, the department can request OMB approval to increase authority and distribute competitive grants or individual training monies mid-year.
DeBartolo summarized recent licensing reforms intended to increase the number of licensed electricians and plumbers (third-party testing, provisional licensing, increased reciprocity and military credit). He said journeyman electrician certifications rose 133% last year, with more than 400 journeymen and 400 trainees certified under the certificate of fitness program.
On refugee support services, DeBartolo said the Alaska Workforce Investment Board received authority last year for roughly $3.1 million in RSS federal receipts but the department is still awaiting federal budget action to release funding.
The subcommittee recorded no formal votes; staff said the department will return for more focused briefings during the subcommittee's scheduled meetings.
