Strengthening Youth Apprenticeships Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 518 To direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to eligible entities to carry out or expand youth apprenticeship programs. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 28, 2021 Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself and Ms. SPANBERGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to eligible entities to carry out or expand youth apprenticeship pro- grams. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Youth 4 Apprenticeships Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 7 effective date of the Strengthening Youth Apprenticeships 8 Act of 2021, in order to cooperate with the Secretary of 9 Education and promote awareness and adoption of ap- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 518 IH prenticeship programs, the Secretary (acting through the 1 Administrator) shall— 2 (1) enter into an interagency agreement with 3 the Secretary of Education to promote and support 4 integration and alignment of programs under the 5 national apprenticeship system with secondary, post- 6 secondary, and adult education, through the activi- 7 ties described in this section; and 8 (2) submit to the Committee on Education and 9 Labor of the House of Representatives and the Com- 10 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 11 of Senate, such agreement and any modifications to 12 such agreement. 13 (b) ALIGNMENT FOR YOUTH APPRENTICESHIPS.—In 14 order to promote alignment between youth apprenticeship 15 programs and high school graduation requirements, the 16 interagency agreement under subsection (a) shall describe 17 how the Secretaries will work to provide— 18 (1) information and resources to— 19 (A) parents and students to promote a bet- 20 ter understanding of programs under the na- 21 tional apprenticeship system and their value in 22 secondary and postsecondary education and ca- 23 reer pathways by not later than middle school; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 518 IH (B) school leaders (working with academic 1 counselors, teachers, and faculty) about the 2 value of such programs and information on how 3 to effectively align youth apprenticeship pro- 4 grams with secondary and career and technical 5 education programs; and 6 (2) technical assistance on how to— 7 (A) align related instruction and apprenti- 8 ceable occupation skills and competencies to 9 high school graduation requirements; 10 (B) offer related instruction through dual 11 and concurrent enrollment programs and other 12 accelerated learning programs, as described in 13 section 4104(b)(3)(A)(i)(IV) of the Elementary 14 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 15 U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(A)(i)(IV)); 16 (C) facilitate transitions for youth appren- 17 tices who have completed their youth appren- 18 ticeships into further education, including an 19 associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree, 20 and related apprenticeship opportunities; and 21 (D) align activities carried out under this 22 Act with eligible funding from, and planning 23 processes, for the Carl D. Perkins Career and 24 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 518 IH 2301 et seq.), the Elementary and Secondary 1 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et 2 seq.), the Individuals with Disabilities Edu- 3 cation Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 4 the Higher Education Act of 1965. 5 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated 7 under section 7, the Secretary of Labor, in consultation 8 with the Secretary of Education, shall award grants to eli- 9 gible entities to create or expand youth apprenticeship 10 programs. 11 (b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this Act, 12 the Secretary shall prioritize eligible entities that will use 13 the grant to carry out or expand youth apprenticeship pro- 14 grams for individuals that include nontraditional appren- 15 ticeship populations. 16 (c) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding 17 grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall, to the 18 extent practicable, ensure an equitable geographic dis- 19 tribution of grants, including an equitable distribution 20 among States, within States, and to urban and rural 21 areas. 22 SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS. 23 An eligible entity desiring to receive a grant under 24 this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary, at 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 518 IH such time, in such manner, and which shall include the 1 following: 2 (1) How the youth apprenticeship program the 3 eligible entity will expand or carry out using the 4 grant will meet the best practices and joint guidance 5 developed under section 2. 6 (2) How such program will be aligned with and 7 fulfill the indicators described in section 6(a). 8 (3) How such program will prepare individuals 9 for work in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand in- 10 dustry sectors or occupations. 11 (4) How such program will recruit and retain to 12 ensure that non-traditional apprenticeship popu- 13 lations participate in such program. 14 (5) How such program will, to the extent prac- 15 ticable, align with high school diploma requirements 16 and career cluster. 17 (6) The ability of the applicant, directly or 18 through partners to enroll, instruct, advance, and 19 graduate youth apprentices served by the grant ac- 20 tivities, and enable the participants to enroll in fur- 21 ther education, gain employment after program com- 22 pletion. 23 (7) An assurance that the eligible entity will— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 518 IH (A) provide information to the Adminis- 1 trator, as requested, for any such evaluations as 2 the Administrator may carry out; 3 (B) make program performance outcome 4 data available (in accordance with applicable 5 data privacy laws, including section 444 of the 6 General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 7 1232g)) to independent evaluators to enable the 8 evaluators to prepare the evaluations and re- 9 ports under section 6; and 10 (C) coordinate grant activities with a State 11 Apprenticeship Agency, if such agency exists in 12 the State where the eligible entity is applying 13 for a grant or carrying out activities. 14 SEC. 5. GRANT USES OF FUNDS. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that receives a 16 grant under this Act shall use the grant funds that are 17 not reserved under subsection (b) to carry out or expand 18 a youth apprenticeship program, which may include using 19 the grant funds for 1 or more of the following: 20 (1) Recruitment, retention, and completion of 21 such program. 22 (2) Program alignment with the challenging 23 State academic standards adopted by the State in 24 which the program will be expanded or carried out 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 518 IH under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and 1 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2 6311(b)(1)) with the technical skills and career com- 3 petencies that are applicable to and transferable to 4 high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors 5 or occupations. 6 (3) Paying for the costs associated with cur- 7 riculum development and alignment of that cur- 8 riculum with industry-recognized credentials, high 9 school graduation requirements, and related instruc- 10 tion, including curriculum development for dual or 11 concurrent enrollment. 12 (4) Facilitating or expanding partnerships with 13 a community college or consortium of community 14 colleges to help with transferability of credits and 15 the increased use of dual and concurrent enrollment 16 programs. 17 (5) Engaging employers for participation in 18 youth apprenticeship programs, which may include: 19 (A) Creating and expanding industry or 20 sector partnerships for the purpose of sup- 21 porting new program development or program 22 expansion. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 518 IH (B) Providing employers technical assist- 1 ance to support the participation of youth ap- 2 prentices under the age of 18. 3 (C) Providing technical assistance to sup- 4 port the participation of small- and medium- 5 sized businesses in youth apprenticeship pro- 6 grams. 7 (6) Providing supportive services and career 8 planning activities, including career exploration of 9 postsecondary opportunities such as apprenticeship 10 programs, for the participants of the youth appren- 11 ticeship program, which may include— 12 (A) promoting the early exposure of stu- 13 dents to the opportunities and requirements of 14 apprenticeship programs; 15 (B) creating opportunities for students to 16 explore a career and develop occupational skills 17 while in high school; and 18 (C) supporting the costs associated with 19 fees, transportation, child care, or mobility chal- 20 lenges. 21 (7) Providing teachers, career guidance and 22 academic counselors, school leaders, administrators, 23 specialized instructional support personnel, and 24 paraprofessionals with professional development op- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 518 IH portunities to build an understanding of apprentice- 1 ship opportunities available to students, including 2 experiential opportunities like externships. 3 (b) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity 4 that receives a grant under this Act shall reserve not less 5 than 5 percent of the grant funds to provide direct finan- 6 cial assistance for recruitment, retention, and completion 7 efforts with respect to the youth apprenticeship program, 8 such as housing, transportation, childcare, food insecurity, 9 and health issues. 10 SEC. 6. EVALUATION. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity receiving a 12 grant under this Act shall submit, on an annual basis, to 13 the Secretary a performance report with respect to the 14 participants of the youth apprenticeship program receiving 15 assistance under this Act that measures— 16 (1) the percentage of program participants who 17 are in education or training activities, or in unsub- 18 sidized employment, during the second quarter after 19 exit from the program; 20 (2) the percentage of program participants who 21 are in education or training activities, or in unsub- 22 sidized employment, during the fourth quarter after 23 exit from the program; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 518 IH (3) the median earnings of program partici- 1 pants who are in unsubsidized employment during 2 the second quarter after exit from the program; 3 (4) the percentage of program participants who 4 obtain, during participation in or within 1 year after 5 exit from the program— 6 (A) a recognized postsecondary credential; 7 or 8 (B) a secondary school diploma or its rec- 9 ognized equivalent, as measured by— 10 (i) the four-year adjusted cohort grad- 11 uation rate (defined in section 8101 of the 12 Elementary and Secondary Education Act 13 of 1965); and 14 (ii) at the State’s discretion, the ex- 15 tended-year adjusted cohort graduation 16 rate defined in such section 8101; and 17 (5) the percentage of program participants who, 18 during a program year, are in an education or train- 19 ing program that leads to a recognized postsec- 20 ondary credential or employment and who are 21 achieving measurable skill gains toward such a cre- 22 dential or employment; and 23 (6) the percentage of program participants who 24 are in employment, an apprenticeship, or other edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 518 IH cation and training activities in an industry sector or 1 occupation for which the youth apprenticeship pro- 2 gram provides preparation. 3 (b) DISAGGREGATION.—Each performance report 4 submitted under subsection (a) shall be disaggregated by 5 race, ethnicity, sex, age, and membership in a population 6 specified in section 3(24) of the Workforce Innovation and 7 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(24)). 8 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 9 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 10 as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal year 11 2022 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. 12 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 13 In this Act: 14 (1) APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The term 15 ‘‘apprenticeship program’’ means an apprenticeship 16 program registered under the Act of August 16, 17 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National Appren- 18 ticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 19 50 et seq.). 20 (2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘‘commu- 21 nity college’’ means a public institution of higher 22 education at which the highest degree awarded is an 23 associate’s degree. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:08 Feb 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H518.IH H518 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 518 IH (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 1 ty’’ means a partnership that— 2 (A) shall include— 3 (i) 1 or more of the entities listed in 4 clauses (i) through (iv) or clause (vii) of 5 section 3(19)(A) of Carl D. Perkins Career 6 and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 7 U.S.C. 2302(19)(A)); and 8 (ii) 1 or more community colleges; 9 and 10 (B) to the extent practicable, shall in- 11 clude— 12 (i) a State or local board; 13 (ii) an industry or sector partnership; 14 (iii) a community-based organization; 15 and 16 (iv) the State Apprenticeship Agency, 17 if such agency exists in the State in which 18 the grant is awarded. 19 (4) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘dual or concur- 20 rent enrollment program’’, ‘‘English learner’’, ‘‘high [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]