A bill to evaluate certain certification programs, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Skills Standards Certification 
Evaluation Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Various entities across the United States have 
        generated skills certification programs based on local and 
        regional needs. At the same time, some national groups have 
        engaged in similar efforts.
            (2) As State and local workforce investment boards, 
        workers, and employers search for a meaningful way to 
        categorize skills, information about existing skills 
        certification programs and certifications can be limited, and 
        may lead to the development of new, duplicative certifications.
            (3) As these skill certification programs may take less 
        time than technical or vocational degrees, the programs provide 
        important recognition for both employers and employees.
            (4) Nationally available, recognized standards for skills 
        certification allow employers and employees the greatest 
        possible flexibility by making the certification portable and 
        meaningful.
            (5) These standards benefit both incumbent, highly skilled 
        workers and those workers with less specialized skills or just 
        starting in the workforce.
            (6) Widely recognized standards for skills certification 
        provide States, regions, communities, and cities the option and 
        ability to quantify and categorize their workforce in a 
        meaningful way.
            (7) There is a well-documented ``skills gap'' in many 
        industries, including manufacturing, that makes it difficult 
        for employers to find workers.
            (8) In 2005, 90 percent of manufacturing employers say a 
        shortage of qualified production workers is their top workforce 
        issue.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to periodically evaluate skills certification programs 
        that certify various employee skills and to determine which 
        skills certifications are most desired by employers and 
        employees; and
            (2) to make information, and materials if possible, about 
        skills certification programs available to eligible entities 
        providing job training.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Local board.--The term ``local board'' means a local 
        workforce investment board established under section 117 of the 
        Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2832).
            (2) Skills certification program.--The term ``skills 
        certification program'' means an industry-led or industry-
        created program that--
                    (A) receives Federal funding;
                    (B) is in existence as of the time that the 
                evaluation under section 5 is conducted;
                    (C) delineates a skill set necessary for a career 
                in a certain industry;
                    (D) does not culminate in an associate or 
                baccalaureate degree; and
                    (E) is not portable or widely or nationally 
                recognized.
            (3) State board.--The term ``State board'' means a State 
        workforce investment board established under section 111 of the 
        Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2821).

SEC. 5. EVALUATION.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of 
Commerce, in consultation with each other, shall--
            (1) conduct an evaluation of skills certification programs;
            (2)(A) determine best practices models for skills 
        certification programs; or
            (B) rank the skills certification programs available in an 
        industry, based on the evaluation criteria described in 
        subsection (b); and
            (3) make recommendations on--
                    (A) the merits of a unified national approach to 
                programs of skills certification, as compared to 
                multiple regional and local skills certification 
                programs; and
                    (B) ways to streamline, if possible, duplicative 
                and similar skills certification programs into a 
                single, widely recognized certification.
    (b) Criteria for Evaluations.--The evaluation of the skills 
certification programs conducted under subsection (a)(1) shall include 
the following criteria:
            (1) Overall usefulness of the skills certification program 
        for workers and employers.
            (2) The demand from industry for workers with the skills 
        provided and certified through the skills certification 
        program.
            (3) Industry involvement in the development of the skill 
        standards included in the skills certification program.
            (4) Industry recognition of the certification awarded under 
        the skills certification program.
            (5) The success of the skills certification program, based 
        on criteria including--
                    (A) how many individuals have successfully 
                completed the skills certification program;
                    (B) how many of such individuals are employed in a 
                field utilizing the skills provided and certified 
                through the skills certification program; and
                    (C) the length of time that such individuals have 
                been so employed.
            (6) The level of recognition of the skills certification 
        program as of the time of the evaluation, including an 
        assessment of --
                    (A) how widespread the skills certification program 
                is used;
                    (B) the number of entities, including State boards, 
                local boards, and institutions of higher education, 
                that have used the skills certification program;
                    (C) the number of States in which the certification 
                is recognized; and
                    (D) whether the skills provided and certified 
                through the skills certification program are reasonably 
                useful.
            (7) Cooperative creation in the development of the skills 
        certification program, such as whether the standards of the 
        skills certification program were created in consultation with 
        relevant partners, including business, labor, and community 
        organizations, and whether such partners still support and use 
        the standards.
            (8) The ease of sharing the skills certification program, 
        including how portable the materials are, how versatile the 
        materials are, and whether the certification programs requires 
        the educator to have access to specific or extensive materials 
        or equipment not usually found in a classroom.
    (c) Outreach.--Not later than 60 days after the evaluation 
described in subsection (a) has been completed, the Secretary of 
Commerce and the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with each other, 
shall--
            (1) post the results of the evaluation, the ranking of 
        skills certification programs or the best practices of such 
        programs, and the recommendations, as described in subsection 
        (a), on the Internet; and
            (2) make the information described in paragraph (1) 
        available in print form to Congress and to interested parties, 
        including--
                    (A) technical colleges;
                    (B) community colleges;
                    (C) State boards and local boards;
                    (D) community organizations; and
                    (E) other groups providing worker training, in 
                partnership and cooperation with industry.
    (d) Updates.--The Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Labor, 
in consultation with each other, shall continue to update the 
evaluations, the rankings of skills certification programs or best 
practices of such programs, and the recommendations, as described in 
subsection (a), as appropriate, but not less often than once every 2 
years.
    (e) Funding.--Of the amounts appropriated to, and available at the 
discretion of, the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Labor for 
programmatic and administrative expenditures, such sums as may be 
necessary shall be used to establish and carry out the requirements of 
this Act.

Summary: Skills Standards Certification Evaluation Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) evaluate skills certification programs for employees. (2) rank such programs or determine best practices models for them. And (3) make recommendations on the merits of a unified national approach to such programs, and ways to streamline duplicative and similar programs into a single, widely recognized certification. Requires the Secretaries to post evaluation results on the Internet and make them available to Congress and to interested parties.