Leveraging Effective Apprenticeships to Rebuild National Skills Act
A BILL
To promote effective registered apprenticeships, for skills, credentials, and employment, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings and purposes
Findings— Congress finds the following:
A highly skilled workforce is necessary to compete in the global economy, support economic growth, and maintain the standard of living of the United States.
The apprenticeship model is a longstanding, on-the-job training and education model that prepares workers for the skill demands of particular occupations and employers while, at the same time, providing the workers with recognized, portable credentials, and wages while in training.
The registered apprenticeship program model has been successful in skilled trade industries, including construction and manufacturing, as well as service industries, such as health care, and holds great potential for expansion into other industries.
Registered apprenticeships are becoming increasingly innovative and diverse in their designs, partnerships, timeframes, and use of emerging concepts such as competency-based learning, and will continue to evolve to meet emerging skill requirements, while maintaining high standards and quality.
Registered apprenticeship programs are an essential element of an effective workforce development system and help individuals attain a recognized postsecondary credential, contributing to their personal economic sustainability.
According to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020 the United States will face a shortage of 5,000,000 workers with recognized postsecondary credentials.
According to a 2012 report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, youth employment in the United States has reached the lowest point since World War II. More than 6,000,000 young people ages 16 through 24 are disconnected from school and work.
A 2012 evaluation of registered apprenticeship programs in 10 States by Mathematica Policy Research found that—
individuals who completed registered apprenticeship programs earned over $240,000 more over their careers than individuals not participating in such apprenticeship programs;
the estimated social benefits of registered apprenticeship programs, including additional productivity of apprentices and the reduction in governmental expenditures as a result of reduced use of unemployment compensation and public assistance, exceeded the costs of the programs by more than $49,000 per program; and
the tax return on every Federal Government dollar invested in registered apprenticeship programs was $27.
Purposes— The purposes of this Act are—
to increase the number of highly skilled workers in the United States, particularly in in-demand industry sectors and occupations;
to increase the attainment of recognized postsecondary credentials by participants;
to increase awareness about the value of the registered apprenticeship program model as an effective earn-and-learn model for students, workers, and employers;
to support the development and expansion of registered apprenticeship programs with employers, joint labor-management partnerships, trade and professional associations, and other program sponsors, that offer jobs that lead to economic self-sufficiency;
to support the development and expansion of effective pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to success in a registered apprenticeship program;
to support a closer alignment between registered apprenticeship programs, the workforce development system, career and technical education, and postsecondary education, including institutions of higher education; and
to support innovative models of effective work-based learning.
Sec. 3 Definitions
In this Act:
Administrator— The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Office of Apprenticeship appointed under section 101(a).
Career pathway— The term career pathway has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
Educational service agency— The term educational service agency—
has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
includes a collaborative of those agencies.
High school— The term high school means a nonprofit institutional day or residential school that—
provides secondary education, as determined under State law;
grants a diploma, as defined by the State; and
includes, at least, grade 12.
In-demand industry sector or occupation— The term in-demand industry sector or occupation has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
Local and State workforce development boards— The terms local workforce development board and State workforce development board have the meanings given the terms local board and State board, respectively, in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
National apprenticeship system— The term national apprenticeship system means the collective group of registered apprenticeship programs and pre-apprenticeship programs in the Nation (including the rules and regulations governing the 2 types of programs).
Postsecondary educational institution— The term postsecondary educational institution means an institution of higher education, as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).
Pre-apprenticeship program— The term pre-apprenticeship program means a program or set of strategies that—
is designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a registered apprenticeship program;
is carried out by an eligible entity (meaning an entity described in section 101(b)(2)(C) that has an application approved under section 101(b)(3)) that has a documented partnership with at least 1 sponsor of a registered apprenticeship program; and
includes each of the following elements:
Training (including a curriculum for the training), aligned with industry standards and reviewed and approved annually by sponsors of the registered apprenticeships within the documented partnership, that will prepare individuals by teaching the skills and competencies needed to enter one or more registered apprenticeship programs.
Provision of hands-on training and theoretical education to individuals that—
accurately simulates the industry and occupational conditions of the registered apprenticeship program described in subparagraph (B);
is carried out in a manner that includes proper observation of supervision and safety protocols; and
is carried out in a manner that does not displace a paid employee.
A formal agreement with a sponsor of a registered apprenticeship program that would enable participants who successfully complete the pre-apprenticeship program to enter directly into the registered apprenticeship program (if a place in the program is available), and includes agreements concerning earning credit recognized by a postsecondary educational institution for skills and competencies acquired during the pre-apprenticeship program.
Recognized postsecondary credential— The term recognized postsecondary credential has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
Registered apprenticeship program— The term registered apprenticeship program means a program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
Secretary— Except as provided in section 102 or as otherwise modified, the term Secretary means the Secretary of Labor, acting through the Administrator.
Sponsor— The term sponsor means an employer, joint labor-management partnership, trade association, professional association, labor organization, or other entity that administers a registered apprenticeship program.