Apprenticeship Hubs Across America Act of 2019

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 951 To promote registered apprenticeships, including registered apprenticeships within in-demand industry sectors, through the support of workforce intermediaries, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 28, 2019 Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. MORAN, and Mr. BROWN) intro- duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To promote registered apprenticeships, including registered apprenticeships within in-demand industry sectors, through the support of workforce intermediaries, and for other purposes. 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 ‘‘Apprenticeship Hubs 4 Across America Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 951 IS (1) Registered apprenticeship programs provide 1 apprentices employment with structured on-the-job 2 training, little to no student loan debt, competitive 3 wages, industry-recognized credentials, direct access 4 to jobs and careers, and in some cases, the potential 5 to earn college credit toward an associate’s or bach- 6 elor’s degree. 7 (2) According to the Department of Labor Ap- 8 prenticeship Toolkit, the average wage for a fully- 9 proficient worker who completes an apprenticeship is 10 $50,000 annually. Apprentices who complete their 11 program earn approximately $300,000 more during 12 their career than non-apprenticeship workers. 13 (3) There are still very few apprenticeship posi- 14 tions in sectors with high job growth. According to 15 data from the Department of Labor, health care— 16 the industry with the greatest job growth—had only 17 1,852 apprentices in 2016. Information technology, 18 another sector with rapidly expanding job opportuni- 19 ties in the United States, had fewer than 1,000 ap- 20 prentices in 2016. 21 (4) A major barrier to expanding registered ap- 22 prenticeships in high-growth job sectors is employ- 23 ers’ lack of familiarity with the process to establish, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 951 IS and the requirements of, registered apprenticeship 1 programs. 2 (5) Workforce intermediaries, which are organi- 3 zations at the national, regional, State, or local level 4 that help ease the process for employers in devel- 5 oping and delivering new registered apprenticeship 6 programs, can serve as a catalyzing force for cre- 7 ating and expanding registered apprenticeships in 8 high-growth job sectors through technical assistance 9 and capacity building for employers, labor organiza- 10 tions, educational institutions, and government enti- 11 ties. 12 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 13 In this Act: 14 (1) APPRENTICESHIP.—The term ‘‘apprentice- 15 ship’’ means an opportunity in a registered appren- 16 ticeship program. 17 (2) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR.—The term 18 ‘‘in-demand industry sector’’ means a sector de- 19 scribed in subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B) of section 20 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 21 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(23)). 22 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 23 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 951 IS meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 1 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 2 (4) LOCAL BOARD.—The term ‘‘local board’’ 3 has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the 4 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 5 U.S.C. 3102). 6 (5) NONTRADITIONAL APPRENTICESHIP OCCU- 7 PATION.—The term ‘‘nontraditional apprenticeship 8 occupation’’ means an occupation that has not tradi- 9 tionally engaged in carrying out registered appren- 10 ticeship programs, but which the Secretary deter- 11 mines would benefit from having such a program 12 (such as an occupation in a financial services, ad- 13 vanced manufacturing, information technology, 14 health care, or hospitality industry sector). 15 (6) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 16 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ 17 means a program registered under the Act of Au- 18 gust 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 19 Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 20 U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 21 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 22 the Secretary of Labor. 23 (8) STATE BOARD.—The term ‘‘State board’’ 24 has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 951 IS Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 1 U.S.C. 3102). 2 (9) WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY.—The term 3 ‘‘workforce intermediary’’ means an entity that, at 4 the national, regional, State, or local level— 5 (A)(i) facilitates the establishment of reg- 6 istered apprenticeship programs; or 7 (ii) if awarded a grant under this Act, has 8 the capacity, and will work, to facilitate the es- 9 tablishment of registered apprenticeship pro- 10 grams; and 11 (B) may be a partnership that includes 1 12 or more of the following as partners: 13 (i) A business or industry organiza- 14 tion. 15 (ii) A community-based organization. 16 (iii) A joint labor-management part- 17 nership. 18 (iv) An institution of higher edu- 19 cation. 20 (v) A State board or local board. 21 (vi) A nonprofit organization. 22 (vii) An industry or sector partnership 23 as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 951 IS Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 1 U.S.C. 3102). 2 (viii) An industry association. 3 (ix) A joint labor-management organi- 4 zation. 5 (x) A consortium of organizations that 6 provide technical assistance to support and 7 to increase the development of registered 8 apprenticeship programs. 9 (xi) Any other entity that the Sec- 10 retary considers to be appropriate. 11 SEC. 4. WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARIES GRANT PROGRAM. 12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—From amounts made avail- 13 able to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall establish 14 and carry out a workforce intermediaries grant program 15 by awarding grants, on a competitive basis, to workforce 16 intermediaries, to enable the workforce intermediaries to 17 engage a variety of stakeholders, such as local boards, sec- 18 ondary schools, institutions of higher education, and em- 19 ployers, to support, develop, and implement registered ap- 20 prenticeship programs in accordance with section 6. 21 (b) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this Act 22 shall be for a period of not more than 4 years. 23 (c) AMOUNT.—A grant awarded under this Act shall 24 be in an amount of not more than $6,000,000, and such 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 951 IS amount shall be determined based on the relative number 1 of apprentices a workforce intermediary plans to facilitate. 2 (d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—In awarding grants 3 under this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that there is 4 geographic diversity in the areas in which activities will 5 be carried out under the grants. 6 (e) MATCHING FUNDS.—A workforce intermediary 7 receiving a grant under this Act shall provide matching 8 funds, from non-Federal sources, for the activities sup- 9 ported under the grant. The matching funds shall be in 10 an amount that is not less than 20 percent of the amount 11 of grant funds provided under the grant. 12 SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS. 13 (a) IN GENERAL.—A workforce intermediary desiring 14 a grant under this Act shall submit an application to the 15 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 16 such information as the Secretary may require. 17 (b) CONTENTS.—The application described in sub- 18 section (a) shall include— 19 (1) information regarding— 20 (A) in the case of a workforce intermediary 21 described in section 3(9)(A)(i), the extent to 22 which the workforce intermediary is working, as 23 of the date of the application, with stakeholders 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 951 IS to provide activities such as the activities de- 1 scribed in section 6; or 2 (B) in the case of a workforce intermediary 3 described in section 3(9)(A)(ii), the capacity of 4 the workforce intermediary to begin providing 5 activities described in section 6 upon receipt of 6 the grant, including information demonstrating 7 that the workforce intermediary would be suc- 8 cessful in carrying out such activities; 9 (2) information regarding the extent to which 10 the grant will help the workforce intermediary— 11 (A) expand apprenticeships for in-demand 12 industry sectors that lack apprenticeships at the 13 time of the application; or 14 (B) target populations that are underrep- 15 resented— 16 (i) in apprenticeships generally; or 17 (ii) in the fields in which the appren- 18 tices will be trained; 19 (3) assurances that— 20 (A) the workforce intermediary will cooper- 21 ate in the evaluation of the project conducted 22 under section 7; and 23 (B) the workforce intermediary will meet 24 the matching requirement under section 4(e); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 951 IS (4) information about the workforce 1 intermediary’s— 2 (A) experience in providing activities de- 3 scribed in section 6 and capacity, or ability to 4 develop or expand capacity, to provide such ac- 5 tivities; 6 (B) experience working in a collaborative 7 environment with government and nongovern- 8 mental entities; 9 (C) ability to raise or provide funding to 10 cover operating costs for the long-term sustain- 11 ability of the activities supported under the 12 grant; and 13 (D) capacity and infrastructure to track 14 outcomes and measure results, including capac- 15 ity to track and analyze program performance 16 and assess program impact; and 17 (5) information describing how the workforce 18 intermediary will promote the diversity described in 19 section 6(b)(1)(F). 20 SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—A workforce intermediary that re- 22 ceives a grant under this Act shall use the grant funds 23 to carry out activities, which may include activities de- 24 scribed in subsection (b) or other strategies as may be nec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 951 IS essary, that support the development and successful imple- 1 mentation of registered apprenticeship programs. 2 (b) SUGGESTED USES.—A workforce intermediary 3 may carry out subsection (a) through 1 or more of the 4 following activities, as determined appropriate by the Sec- 5 retary: 6 (1) OUTREACH AND MARKETING.—A workforce 7 intermediary may provide services to engage employ- 8 ers in registered apprenticeship programs, which 9 may include— 10 (A) marketing apprenticeships regionally, 11 to employers and to potential apprentices; 12 (B) marketing apprenticeships to sec- 13 ondary school students, counselors, school ad- 14 ministrators, or parents; 15 (C) recruiting and evaluating candidates 16 for apprenticeships; 17 (D) conducting outreach to employers to 18 persuade the employers to adopt the apprentice- 19 ship model; 20 (E) matching employers with apprentices; 21 and 22 (F) promoting diversity among apprentices 23 by promoting outreach to underrepresented 24 populations (such as women and minorities), 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 951 IS youth, individuals with disabilities (as defined 1 in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities 2 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)), and veterans. 3 (2) EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT.—The workforce 4 intermediary may provide services to engage employ- 5 ers in, and develop curricula for, registered appren- 6 ticeship programs, which may include assisting a 7 small or medium-sized employer with— 8 (A) designing a curriculum for a registered 9 apprenticeship program that blends occupation- 10 specific skills and general industry skills; 11 (B) designing a comprehensive training 12 plan for apprentices; 13 (C) navigating the registration process for 14 the registered apprenticeship program; 15 (D) identifying skills, both technical and 16 behavioral, needed to perform the occupation in 17 question; 18 (E) providing training to managers and 19 front-line employees to serve as trainers or 20 mentors to apprentices in the registered appren- 21 ticeship program; 22 (F) paying for the cost of off-site training 23 provided to apprentices; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •S 951 IS (G) coordinating activities between training 1 instructors and worksite supervisors of appren- 2 tices; 3 (H) conducting or arranging for off-the-job 4 training related to the apprenticeship; 5 (I) convening employers to define skills for 6 the registered apprenticeship program; and 7 (J) developing occupational standards that 8 are nationally recognized and portable to help 9 guide employers and sponsors in establishing 10 new registered apprenticeship programs. 11 (3) SUPPORT SERVICES FOR APPRENTICES.— 12 The workforce intermediary may provide support 13 services for apprentices to assure their success in, 14 and after, registered apprenticeship programs, which 15 may include— 16 (A) providing guidance to, mentorship to, 17 and oversight of apprentices during the pro- 18 gram, to ensure retention and completion; 19 (B) providing services to address chal- 20 lenges that surface for apprentices during the 21 apprenticeship; 22 (C) providing professional development 23 training needed for apprentices to succeed in a 24 full-time job after the apprenticeship; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S951.IS S951 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 13 •S 951 IS ( [Text truncated for display. 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