by State Rep. J. Eggleston
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One of the bills the House passed this week was an education scholarship program called Fast Track. We already have a scholarship program called Access Missouri designed to help poor kids get a college education. We also have Bright Flight which helps smart kids get a college education. But we did not have a program for adults who had missed out on college who later wanted or needed college-level skills to fill today’s jobs. Now we might if Fast Track is fully passed.
The goal of Fast Track is to provide community colleges, tech schools, and universities with the means to equip students for the high-paying, high-demand jobs of the future. It is designed to open up higher education opportunities for adults looking for a boost to pursue their dreams and to help Missouri businesses find workers with the training needed to fill their workforce demands.
Fast Track is a needs-based scholarship targeted at adults who are working toward a certification, undergraduate degree, or industry-recognized credential for a high demand occupation. To be eligible, a student must be at least 25 years of age, not have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, and have an adjusted gross income of less than $40,000. If approved, a Missourian could attend a Missouri post-secondary institution of their choice and have their tuition and fees paid for by the program. The program is a “last-dollar” program and will be applied after all federal non-loan aid, state student aid, and any other governmental student financial aid are applied.
Fast Track is defined in House Bill 225 . Now that it has passed the House, it needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by the governor to go into effect. Hopefully, it will lead to businesses filling the many job openings available and help challenged Missourians achieve their American dream.
One more thought: In 2002, Hollywood released the funny animated movie Ice Age. Since then, four sequels to that movie have been released. I believe they could make another one about a region in the Midwest that was duped by a mischievous groundhog on Feb. 2 into believing that their icy cold winter would end early, while it secretly plotted a series of ice and snow storms designed to keep kids and teachers in school until well into summer!