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H.R. 5509 — what changed

Innovations in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act

From Reported in House to Engrossed in House. 5 sections amended between Reported in House and Engrossed in House.

Sec. 2 Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)
To remain competitive in the global economy, foster greater innovation, and provide a foundation for shared prosperity, the United States needs a workforce with the right mix of skills to meet the diverse needs of the economy.
(2)
changed Evidence indicates that the returns on investments in technical skills in the labor market are strong when students successfully complete their training education and gain credentials sought by employers.
(3)
changed The responsibility for developing and sustaining a skilled technical workforce is fragmented across many groups, including educators; students; workers; employers; educators, students, workers, employers, Federal, State, and local governments; labor organizations; and governments, civic associations. associations, and other stakeholders. Such groups need to be able to coordinate and cooperate successfully with each other.
(4)
Coordination among students, community colleges, secondary and post-secondary institutions, and employers would improve educational outcomes.
(5)
Promising experiments currently underway may guide innovation and reform, but scalability of some of those experiments has not yet been tested.
(6)
changed Evidence suggests that integration of academic education, technical training, skills development, and hands-on work experience improves outcomes and return on investment for students in secondary and post-secondary education and for skilled technical workers in different career stages.
(7)
Outcomes show that mentoring can increase STEM student engagement and the rate of completion of STEM post-secondary degrees.

Sec. 3 National Science Foundation STEM innovation and apprenticeship grants

(a)
changed Establishment— The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award competitive grants to eligible applicants entities in accordance with this section.
(b)
Coordination— In carrying out this section, the Director shall consult and cooperate with the programs and policies of other relevant Federal agencies to avoid duplication with, and enhance the effectiveness of, the provision of grants under this section.
(c)
Grants for associate degree programs in STEM fields—
(1)
changed In general— The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award competitive grants to community colleges to develop or improve associate degree and or certificate programs in STEM fields in, with respect to the region in which there the respective college is significant workforce demand located, an in-demand industry sector or occupation (as defined in the region section 3(23)) of the community college receiving the award Workforce Innovation and a need to strengthen the global competitiveness of affected companies.Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(23))).
(2)
Application— In considering applications for grants under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize—
(A)
applicants that consist of a partnership between the applying community college and individual employers or an employer consortia, or industry or sector partnerships, and may include a university or other organization with demonstrated expertise in academic program development;
(B)
changed applications that demonstrate current and future workforce demand in occupations directly related to the proposed associate degree or certificate program.program;
(C)
changed applications that include commitments by the partnering employers or employer consortia, or industry or sector partnerships partnerships, to offer apprenticeships, internships or other applied learning opportunities to students enrolled in the proposed associate degree program; andprogram;
(D)
changed applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other historically underrepresented individuals in STEM studies and careers in the proposed associate degree program.program; and
(E)
added applications that describe how the applying community college will support the collection of information and data for purposes of evaluation of the proposed associate degree program.
(3)
Funding— The National Science Foundation shall devote not less than $20,000,000 to awards described in this subsection, which shall include not less than $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate. This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
(d)
Grants for STEM degree applied learning opportunities—
(1)
changed In general— The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award competitive grants to universities institutions of higher education partnering with employers or employer consortia, or industry or sector partnerships partnerships, that commit to offering apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, or applied learning experiences to enrolled university students in identified four-year STEM baccalaureate degree programs.
(2)
Application— In considering applications for grants under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize—
(A)
applicants that consist of a partnership between—
(I)
the applying university; and
(ii)
individual employers or an employer consortia, or industry or sector partnerships;
(B)
changed applications that demonstrate current and future workforce demand in occupations directly related to selected STEM fields; andfields;
(C)
changed applications that include outreach plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other populations historically underrepresented in STEM.STEM; and
(D)
added applications that describe how the university will support the collection and information of data for purposes of the evaluation of identified STEM degree programs.
(3)
Funding— The National Science Foundation shall devote not less than $10,000,000 to awards described in this subsection, which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate. This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
(e)
Grants for computer-Based and online STEM education courses—
(1)
changed In general— The Director of the National Science Foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct research on student outcomes and determine best practices and scalability of computer-based and online courses for STEM education and technical skills training.education through distance learning or in a simulated work environment.
(2)
Research areas— The research areas eligible for funding under this subsection may include—
(A)
changed post-secondary courses for technical training skills development for STEM occupations;
(B)
changed improving high-school level vocational training career and technical education in STEM subjects;
(C)
encouraging and sustaining interest and achievement levels in STEM subjects among women and other populations historically underrepresented in STEM studies and careers; and
(D)
changed combining computer-based and online STEM education and training skills development with traditional mentoring and other mentoring arrangements, apprenticeships, internships, and other applied learning opportunities.
(3)
Funding— The National Science Foundation shall devote not less than $10,000,000 to awards described in this subsection, which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate. This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.

Sec. 4 Research on efficiency of skilled technical labor markets

(a)
changed Efficiency of skilled technical labor markets— The Directorate of Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences of the National Science Foundation, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall support research that improves the efficiency of skilled technical labor markets in the United States, including research on labor market analysis innovations, data and information sciences, electronic information tools and methodologies, and metrics.
(b)
Comparison of United States workforce—
(1)
changed Research— The National Science Foundation shall commission research that compares and contrasts skilled technical workforce development between States and regions within the United States and other developed countries, including the diversity of skilled technical and professional workforces, to the extent feasible.
(2)
Report— Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit to Congress a report on the results of the study under paragraph (1).
(c)
Skilled technical workforce—
(1)
changed Review— The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics of the National Science Foundation shall consult and coordinate with other relevant Federal statistical agencies agencies, including the Institution of Education Science, and the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education, to explore the feasibility of expanding its surveys to include the collection of objective data on the skilled technical workforce.
(2)
Report— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit to Congress a report containing the progress made in expanding the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics surveys to include the skilled technical workforce. Such report shall include a plan for multi-agency collaboration in order to effect data collection and reporting of data on the skilled technical workforce.

Sec. 6 Evaluation and report

(a)
Evaluation—
(1)
changed In general— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall evaluate the grants and programs provided under this Act.
(2)
changed Requirements— In conducting the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Director shall use a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to identify best practices and materials developed or demonstrated by the research conducted pursuant to such grants and programs.—
(A)
added use a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to identify best practices and materials developed or demonstrated by the research conducted pursuant to such grants and programs;
(B)
added include an assessment of the effectiveness of the grant programs established under this Act in expanding apprenticeships, internships, and other applied learning opportunities offered by employers in conjunction with community colleges and institutions of higher education;
(C)
added assess the number of students who participated in programs established under or pursuant to this Act;
(D)
added assess the percentage of students participating in programs established under or pursuant to this Act who successfully complete their education program; and
(E)
added assess the median earnings of students who have completed a program with respect to which a grant was awarded under section 3(c), as of the date that is two calendar quarters after completing the program, as practicable.
(b)
changed Report on evaluations— Not later than 180 days after the completion of the evaluation under subsection (a), the Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes—
(1)
the results of the evaluation; and
(2)
changed any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grants and programs under this Act.
(c)
Consultation— In carrying out this section, the Director of the Foundation shall consult the programs and policies of other relevant Federal agencies to avoid duplication with, and enhance the effectiveness of, the grants and programs under this Act.
(d)
added Submission to Secretary of Education— On the date on which the report is submitted under subsection (b), the Director of the National Science Foundation shall also submit to the Secretary of Education a copy of the report.

Sec. 7 Definitions

In this Act:

(1)
STEM— The term “STEM” means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.
(2)
Community college— The term “community college” has the meaning given the term “junior and community college” in section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058).
(3)
removed Institution of higher education— The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(3)
renumbered was (6) Region— The term “region” means a labor market area, as such term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(4)
renumbered was (7) Skilled technical workforce— The term “skilled technical workforce” means workers with high school diplomas and two-year technical training or certifications who employ significant levels of STEM knowledge in their jobs.
(6)
removed University— The term “university” means a 4-year institution of higher education, as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).