- Sonderling confirmed as labor secretary
- NSF seeks reviewers for ATE
- Ga. tech college system sets grad, credential, job placement records
Sonderling confirmed as labor secretary
The Senate this week confirmed Keith Sonderling as the 31st secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
“America’s workers and job creators are the greatest in the world. I will work every day to ensure they have a U.S. Department of Labor that is accountable, effective, and responsive to their needs,” he posted on LinkedIn following his confirmation on Wednesday along party lines, 47-41.
Sonderling had served as acting secretary since April, following Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s resignation. During his tenure, he has visited several community colleges to highlight their efforts to build a skilled workforce.
Sonderling previously was DOL’s deputy secretary of labor, a position he attained in March 2025.
NSF seeks reviewers for ATE
The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks experts to review proposals for its Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program.
“Serving as a reviewer is a great way to contribute your expertise, support impactful projects, and gain insight into the NSF review process,” Olga Pierrakos, NSF’s ATE Program Lead, said in a post on LinkedIn. “Community colleges at the forefront of preparing the next generation of technicians that make up nearly half of the U.S. STEM workforce and are essential to our nation’s innovation ecosystem.”
Reviewers can be STEM professionals, community college STEM faculty and leaders, industry partners, evaluators and STEM educators. For more information, complete this interest survey.
Ga. tech college system sets grad, credential job placement records
The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) reports graduating a record 50,847 students for the 2026 academic year, while marking its fourth consecutive year of enrollment growth and setting records in credentials awarded and in-field job placement.
In the 2026 academic year, system colleges awarded:
- 70,719 technical certificates of credit
- 11,766 associate degrees
- 88,285 total awards
The system also reports achieving a record 92.78% in-field placement rate, meaning nearly 93% of graduates who entered the workforce found employment in the field in which they studied.
