Statement on the Adjournment of the 2023 Legislative Session

The 2023 legislative session delivered transformative education and workforce training initiatives for students, parents, and Vermont. With many newly elected lawmakers, there was a palpable sense of energy under the Golden Dome.

The session brought an exceptional spirit of collaboration around the importance of meeting Vermont’s workforce development needs. Driven by a shared vision of the challenges, Governor Scott and the Legislature responded to our collective mission to reduce barriers, make education and training more affordable, and serve the needs of students of all ages. Vermont’s leaders worked with the workforce education and training community, inviting us to the table to solve challenges and join in the momentum to increase access to education and training in the state of Vermont.

Education and post-secondary training are critical for Vermonters to achieve success and realize life goals, as well as to address our acute workforce crisis and stimulate our economy. Stakeholders were eager to help.  With our partners, we came together as a community to move forward programs and initiatives for individual opportunity, workforce development, and economic growth.

And while there are many examples of this collaboration, perhaps nothing captures the spirit of what we have aimed for together than 802Opportunity—making Community College of Vermont tuition free for thousands of Vermont students—and our work to strengthen Vermont’s workforce, through forgivable loans to encourage students to pursue careers in the trades, nursing, mental health counseling, and teaching, to name but a few. Our students are on a path forward.

VSAC thanks Governor Scott and his team for their remarkable dedication to providing access to education and training for Vermont’s most vulnerable people. We thank the Vermont House and Senate for prioritizing education and training, creating policies that will have a significant impact on Vermonters in the coming months and years.