Bill Text: CA SB923 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Educational apprenticeships: Educational Apprenticeship
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Vetoed) 2014-09-30 - In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. [SB923 Detail]
Download: California-2013-SB923-Enrolled.html
BILL NUMBER: SB 923 ENROLLED BILL TEXT PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 28, 2014 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 27, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 18, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 17, 2014 AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 27, 2014 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 9, 2014 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 26, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Senator Pavley (Coauthors: Senators Correa and Wyland) JANUARY 29, 2014 An act to add Article 2.3 (commencing with Section 33135) to Chapter 2 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to educational apprenticeships. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 923, Pavley. Educational apprenticeships: Educational Apprenticeship Innovation Act: EdPrize. Existing law establishes the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and specifies that the Superintendent is the ex officio Director of the State Department of Education. Under existing law, the State Department of Education administers numerous programs relating to elementary and secondary education. This bill would enact the Educational Apprenticeship Innovation Act, pursuant to which a competitive grant, known as the Educational Apprenticeship Innovation Prize (EdPrize), would be distributed to applicant school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and community college campuses for purposes of promoting apprenticeships, preapprenticeships, and career pathways between local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and businesses of importance to local economies. The bill would specify certain minimum criteria to determine the competitive value of an application for the grant. Existing law establishes the California Career Pathways Trust, administered by the department as a competitive grant program for kindergarten and grades 1 to 14, inclusive. This bill would require applicants of the EdPrize to use the California Career Pathways Trust application and would give EdPrize applicants special consideration for a California Career Pathways Trust grant. The bill would provide that it is the Legislature's intent that educational apprenticeships, as defined, be considered as an option to provide career technical education for high school pupils in school districts beyond those that are participating in the EdPrize program. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) As reported by Governing Magazine, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate of Californians between 16 and 24 years of age stood at 20.2 percent, which is the fourth highest in the nation. (b) This high youth unemployment rate has affected young people who either have not yet earned or will not earn a college degree particularly hard, as the lack of opportunity can prevent these young people from fully participating in society, thus increasing costs for local and state agencies due to increased reliance on social welfare and public safety resources. (c) This lack of opportunity is likely to increase, as, according to a study by Opportunity Nation, 60 percent of all jobs will require at least an associate's degree by 2018. (d) Thousands of jobs across multiple, vital industrial sectors have gone unfilled due to a shortage of well-trained skilled workers, resulting in losses in productivity, costs to employers and the public sector, and an overall erosion of the California and national economy. (e) According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, 70 percent of California businesses across different economic sectors stated that it was either somewhat difficult or very difficult to fill certain positions, mostly due to applicants lacking the skill sets needed to complete work tasks and responsibilities. (f) With a large percentage of the skilled workforce approaching retirement age, the local, state, and national economies will be facing an even greater skills gap than that which exists today. (g) The dual needs of ensuring that young people are given the opportunity to learn vital job skills and succeed professionally and that our businesses have a large pool of skilled workers to fill current and future workforce needs are relevant and interconnected with each other. (h) Local California educators, communities, and businesses have long recognized this relevance and interconnectedness, have experimented on a small scale with different models, and have taken inspiration from the programs developed in other states like Massachusetts and countries like Switzerland and Germany. (i) Apprenticeships, preapprenticeship programs, and other forms of work-based learning provide opportunities for pupils to explore and begin careers in some of the fastest growing economic sectors in the state, such as advanced manufacturing, computer technology and IT services, energy efficiency, clean technology, nursing and health care services, entertainment, the culinary arts and hospitality, and banking and financial services. (j) The current and future generations of Californians must be given the opportunity to work and find avenues to gainful employment in industrial areas relevant to their local communities and in order to help them pursue a productive and satisfying future. (k) The State of California, local communities, industry, and youth would benefit from enhanced opportunities for students to begin training for high-skill, high-wage jobs while enrolled in high school. (l) Preparing future generations for career placement and workplace instruction is best determined by institutions of primary, secondary, and postsecondary education working in conjunction with local business, labor, and civic leaders. SEC. 2. Article 2.3 (commencing with Section 33135) is added to Chapter 2 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read: Article 2.3. Educational Apprenticeship Innovation Act 33135. This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the Educational Apprenticeship Innovation Act. 33135.5. (a) There is hereby established the Educational Apprenticeship Innovation Prize (EdPrize) for purposes of promoting apprenticeships, preapprenticeships, and career pathways between local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and businesses of importance to local economies. Grants allocated for the EdPrize shall be distributed on a competitive basis to an entity by the Superintendent, subject to funding being made available in the annual Budget Act. (b) The Superintendent shall use, at minimum, all of the following criteria to determine the competitive value of an application: (1) The ability of the proposed program to provide at least two years of apprenticeship, preapprenticeship, or other forms of workforce training to eligible high school pupils in grades 11 and 12 or the ability to provide eligible high school pupils with a career and educational pathways to a campus of the California Community Colleges. (2) The ability of the proposed program to place eligible high school pupils in apprenticeships, preapprenticeships, internships, and workplace learning environments in fields determined to be of local economic importance, as determined through data and evidence-driven analysis. (3) The ability of the proposed program to provide eligible high school pupils with the opportunity to work in an economic sector with gainful employment opportunities or academic pathways that lead to either a certificate or an associate degree. (4) The ability of the proposed program to address the needs of the local or regional labor market and help competitive and emerging industry sectors and industry clusters, or to address the state's need to fill skills gaps and skills shortages in the economy, including skills gaps and shortages at the regional level. (5) The ability of the proposed program to collaboratively include businesses, workforce investment boards, labor or trade organizations, or postsecondary educational institutions of local importance in the development and operation of the program. (6) An assessment of the past performance of the applying entities if the agency has been awarded other economic and workforce development grants or other state grants, including an assessment of whether the grantee's previous awards produced project deliverables specified in prior grant applications. (7) The ability to create a written agreement among the applicant entities, the participating eligible high school pupils or their parents, and participating employers in order to ensure commitment to the pupil's academic and professional success, and ensure the successful completion of the apprenticeship, preapprenticeship, work-based learning program, or educational pathway. (8) The ability to provide participating eligible high school pupils with a worksite mentor to help train, guide, and supervise the pupil. (9) The ability for the proposed program to continue after the expiration of grant funding. 33136. (a) Applicants for an EdPrize shall use the application used to apply for a California Career Pathways Trust grant, pursuant to Chapter 16 (commencing with Section 53010) of Part 28 of Division 4. (b) Applicants for the EdPrize shall get special consideration for a California Career Pathways Trust grant, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 53016. 33136.5. It is the intent of the Legislature that educational apprenticeships be considered as an option to provide career technical education for high school pupils in school districts beyond those that are participating in the EdPrize program. 33137. As used in this article: (a) "Educational apprenticeships" means programs that provide apprenticeship, preapprenticeship, or other forms of work-based learning to high school pupils as a part of their academic curriculum. (b) "Eligible high school pupil" means a pupil in grade 11 or 12 who has passed, or is exempt from, the high school exit examination administered under Section 60851 and is satisfactorily meeting the requirements of Section 51225.3. (c) "Entity" means a school district, county office of education, charter school, or campus of the California Community Colleges, applying for funding under this article.