I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4965 

To promote effective registered apprenticeships, for skills, credentials, and 

employment, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 31, 2019 

Mr. POCAN (for himself, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SIRES, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, 

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LUJA ́N, 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Mrs. AXNE, Mr. LAMB, Mr. KILDEE, 

Mr. SOTO, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. HAALAND, Mrs. DINGELL, 

Mr. KILMER, Mr. EVANS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. PALLONE, 

Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. 

SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. CROW, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 

Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. ROSE of New York, Mr. 

LOWENTHAL, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, 

Mr. VISCLOSKY, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. DELBENE, 

Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. RYAN, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, and Ms. CLARKE

of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To promote effective registered apprenticeships, for skills, 

credentials, and employment, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Leveraging Effective Apprenticeships to Rebuild Na4 tional Skills Act’’ or the ‘‘LEARNS Act’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—PROMOTING REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS 

Sec. 101. Promoting registered apprenticeship programs. 

Sec. 102. Promoting integration with postsecondary education. 

TITLE II—PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND ENHANCEMENT 

Sec. 201. Expanding registered apprenticeship programs. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

9 (1) A highly skilled workforce is necessary to 

10 compete in the global economy, support economic 

11 growth, and maintain the standard of living of the 

12 United States. 

13 (2) The apprenticeship model is a longstanding, 

14 on-the-job training and education model that pre15 pares workers for the skill demands of particular oc16 cupations and employers while, at the same time, 

17 providing the workers with recognized, portable cre18 dentials, and wages while in training. 

19 (3) The registered apprenticeship program 

20 model has been successful in skilled trade industries, 


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1 including construction and manufacturing, as well as 

2 service industries, such as health care, and holds 

3 great potential for expansion into other industries. 

4 (4) Registered apprenticeships are becoming in5 creasingly innovative and diverse in their designs, 

6 partnerships, timeframes, and use of emerging con7 cepts such as competency-based learning, and will 

8 continue to evolve to meet emerging skill require9 ments, while maintaining high standards and qual10 ity. 

11 (5) Registered apprenticeship programs are an 

12 essential element of an effective workforce develop13 ment system and help individuals attain a recognized 

14 postsecondary credential, contributing to their per15 sonal economic sustainability. 

16 (6) According to a report from the Georgetown 

17 University Center on Education and the Workforce, 

18 by 2020 the United States will face a shortage of 

19 5,000,000 workers with recognized postsecondary 

20 credentials. 

21 (7) According to a 2012 report from the Annie 

22 E. Casey Foundation, youth employment in the 

23 United States has reached the lowest point since 

24 World War II. More than 6,000,000 young people 


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1 ages 16 through 24 are disconnected from school 

2 and work. 

3 (8) A 2012 evaluation of registered apprentice4 ship programs in 10 States by Mathematica Policy 

5 Research found that— 

6 (A) individuals who completed registered 

7 apprenticeship programs earned over $240,000 

8 more over their careers than individuals not 

9 participating in such apprenticeship programs; 

10 (B) the estimated social benefits of reg11 istered apprenticeship programs, including addi12 tional productivity of apprentices and the reduc13 tion in governmental expenditures as a result of 

14 reduced use of unemployment compensation and 

15 public assistance, exceeded the costs of the pro16 grams by more than $49,000 per program; and 

17 (C) the tax return on every Federal Gov18 ernment dollar invested in registered appren19 ticeship programs was $27. 

20 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

21 (1) to increase the number of highly skilled 

22 workers in the United States, particularly in in-de23 mand industry sectors and occupations; 

24 (2) to increase the attainment of recognized 

25 postsecondary credentials by participants; 


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1 (3) to increase awareness about the value of the 

2 registered apprenticeship program model as an effec3 tive earn-and-learn model for students, workers, and 

4 employers; 

5 (4) to support the development and expansion 

6 of registered apprenticeship programs with employ7 ers, joint labor-management partnerships, trade and 

8 professional associations, and other program spon9 sors, that offer jobs that lead to economic self-suffi10 ciency; 

11 (5) to support the development and expansion 

12 of effective pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to 

13 success in a registered apprenticeship program; 

14 (6) to support a closer alignment between reg15 istered apprenticeship programs, the workforce de16 velopment system, career and technical education, 

17 and postsecondary education, including institutions 

18 of higher education; and 

19 (7) to support innovative models of effective 

20 work-based learning. 

21 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this Act: 

23 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis24 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Office of Ap25 prenticeship appointed under section 101(a). 


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1 (2) CAREER PATHWAY.—The term ‘‘career 

2 pathway’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

3 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

4 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

5 (3) EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY.—The 

6 term ‘‘educational service agency’’— 

7 (A) has the meaning given the term in sec8 tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and 

10 (B) includes a collaborative of those agen11 cies. 

12 (4) HIGH SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high school’’ 

13 means a nonprofit institutional day or residential 

14 school that— 

15 (A) provides secondary education, as deter16 mined under State law; 

17 (B) grants a diploma, as defined by the 

18 State; and 

19 (C) includes, at least, grade 12. 

20 (5) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCUPA21 TION.—The term ‘‘in-demand industry sector or oc22 cupation’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

23 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

24 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 


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1 (6) LOCAL AND STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOP2 MENT BOARDS.—The terms ‘‘local workforce devel3 opment board’’ and ‘‘State workforce development 

4 board’’ have the meanings given the terms ‘‘local 

5 board’’ and ‘‘State board’’, respectively, in section 3 

6 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

7 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

8 (7) NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM.—The 

9 term ‘‘national apprenticeship system’’ means the 

10 collective group of registered apprenticeship pro11 grams and pre-apprenticeship programs in the Na12 tion (including the rules and regulations governing 

13 the 2 types of programs). 

14 (8) POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITU15 TION.—The term ‘‘postsecondary educational institu16 tion’’ means an institution of higher education, as 

17 defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act 

18 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

19 (9) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The 

20 term ‘‘pre-apprenticeship program’’ means a pro21 gram or set of strategies that— 

22 (A) is designed to prepare individuals to 

23 enter and succeed in a registered apprenticeship 

24 program; 


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1 (B) is carried out by an eligible entity 

2 (meaning an entity described in section 

3 101(b)(2)(C) that has an application approved 

4 under section 101(b)(3)) that has a documented 

5 partnership with at least 1 sponsor of a reg6 istered apprenticeship program; and 

7 (C) includes each of the following elements: 

8 (i) Training (including a curriculum 

9 for the training), aligned with industry 

10 standards and reviewed and approved an11 nually by sponsors of the registered ap12 prenticeships within the documented part13 nership, that will prepare individuals by 

14 teaching the skills and competencies need15 ed to enter one or more registered appren16 ticeship programs. 

17 (ii) Provision of hands-on training and 

18 theoretical education to individuals that— 

19 (I) accurately simulates the in20 dustry and occupational conditions of 

21 the registered apprenticeship program 

22 described in subparagraph (B); 

23 (II) is carried out in a manner 

24 that includes proper observation of su25 pervision and safety protocols; and 


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1 (III) is carried out in a manner 

2 that does not displace a paid em3 ployee. 

4 (iii) A formal agreement with a spon5 sor of a registered apprenticeship program 

6 that would enable participants who suc7 cessfully complete the pre-apprenticeship 

8 program to enter directly into the reg9 istered apprenticeship program (if a place 

10 in the program is available), and includes 

11 agreements concerning earning credit rec12 ognized by a postsecondary educational in13 stitution for skills and competencies ac14 quired during the pre-apprenticeship pro15 gram. 

16 (10) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN17 TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden18 tial’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 

19 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

20 U.S.C. 3102). 

21 (11) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO22 GRAM.—The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship pro23 gram’’ means a program registered under the Act of 

24 August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 


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1 Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 

2 U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 

3 (12) SECRETARY.—Except as provided in sec4 tion 102 or as otherwise modified, the term ‘‘Sec5 retary’’ means the Secretary of Labor, acting 

6 through the Administrator. 

7 (13) SPONSOR.—The term ‘‘sponsor’’ means an 

8 employer, joint labor-management partnership, trade 

9 association, professional association, labor organiza10 tion, or other entity that administers a registered 

11 apprenticeship program. 

12 TITLE I—PROMOTING 

13 REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS 

14 SEC. 101. PROMOTING REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO15 GRAMS. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF APPREN17 TICESHIP.— 

18 (1) OFFICE.—There is established, in the Em19 ployment and Training Administration of the De20 partment of Labor, an Office of Apprenticeship. 

21 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The Office shall be 

22 headed by an Administrator of the Office of Appren23 ticeship appointed by the Assistant Secretary for 

24 Employment and Training. The Assistant Secretary 

25 shall appoint an individual who has the demVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:31 Nov 10, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4965.IH H4965

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1 onstrated knowledge of registered apprenticeship 

2 programs necessary to serve as the Administrator. 

3 (3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Administrator, 

4 through the Office of Apprenticeship, shall carry out 

5 responsibilities including— 

6 (A) determining whether an apprenticeship 

7 program meets the requirements to become a 

8 registered apprenticeship program and main9 tains the standards necessary to remain a reg10 istered apprenticeship program; 

11 (B) managing the national apprenticeship 

12 system; 

13 (C) carrying out activities under subsection 

14 (b) to promote effective pre-apprenticeship pro15 grams; 

16 (D) promoting awareness about registered 

17 apprenticeship programs, including carrying out 

18 activities under subsection (c); 

19 (E) engaging in regular updates of the reg20 istration process, ensuring that such process is 

21 easily accessible and efficient for use by spon22 sors of registered apprenticeship programs; 

23 (F) regularly engaging with the National 

24 Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships and en25 sure that the required reports of the Committee 


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1 are submitted to the Secretary and transmitted 

2 to Congress; 

3 (G) promoting greater diversity in reg4 istered apprenticeship programs and pre-ap5 prenticeship programs, including by promoting 

6 outreach to underrepresented populations, 

7 youth, and veterans and supporting the develop8 ment of apprenticeship models; 

9 (H) providing for evaluations and research, 

10 as described in subsection (e); 

11 (I) providing technical assistance to spon12 sors of registered apprenticeship programs, en13 tities who are interested in developing and be14 coming sponsors of registered apprenticeship 

15 programs, and eligible entities carrying out pre16 apprenticeship programs; and 

17 (J) coordinating and aligning registered 

18 apprenticeship programs with other Federal 

19 education and training programs, including 

20 those authorized under the Workforce Innova21 tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et 

22 seq.) and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech23 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 

24 et seq.). 


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1 (b) SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-AP2 PRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.— 

3 (1) SUPPORT.—The Secretary shall support the 

4 development of pre-apprenticeship programs. 

5 (2) GRANTS.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Using funds available 

7 under subsection (f), the Secretary shall make 

8 grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities 

9 to provide the Federal share of the cost of car10 rying out projects that support that develop11 ment. 

12 (B) PERIOD.—The Secretary shall make 

13 initial grants under this paragraph for periods 

14 of not more than 3 years, except that if an eli15 gible entity demonstrates satisfactory perform16 ance under paragraph (6) by the end of that 

17 third year, the Secretary may extend the grant 

18 period up to an additional 1 year for that enti19 ty. 

20 (C) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to 

21 receive a grant from the Secretary under this 

22 subsection, an entity shall be a public-private 

23 partnership consisting of— 

24 (i) a local educational agency, high 

25 school, area career and technical school (as 


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1 defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins 

2 Career and Technical Education Act of 

3 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)), educational serv4 ice agency (as defined in section 8101 of 

5 the Elementary and Secondary Education 

6 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), 2- or 4- 

7 year postsecondary educational institution, 

8 or collaborative of such entities; 

9 (ii) in a State with a State entity rec10 ognized by the Secretary of Labor to reg11 ister apprenticeship programs in that 

12 State, that entity; 

13 (iii) an industry or business, con14 sisting of an employer, a group of employ15 ers, a trade association, a professional as16 sociation, or an entity that sponsors a reg17 istered apprenticeship program; 

18 (iv) a State workforce development 

19 board or local workforce development 

20 board; and 

21 (v) to the maximum extent prac22 ticable— 

23 (I) a labor organization associ24 ated with the industry or occupation 


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1 related to the pre-apprenticeship pro2 gram involved; and 

3 (II) a community-based organiza4 tion that provides pre-apprenticeship 

5 programs, as appropriate. 

6 (3) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

7 grant from the Secretary under this subsection, an 

8 entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at 

9 such time, in such manner, and containing such in10 formation as the Secretary may require, including— 

11 (A) a description of the training and cur12 riculum described in section 3(9)(C)(i), and how 

13 the proposed pre-apprenticeship program makes 

14 individuals who successfully complete the pre15 apprenticeship program qualified to enter into 

16 an established registered apprenticeship pro17 gram; 

18 (B) evidence that there are or will be suffi19 cient openings available in the registered ap20 prenticeship program referenced in subpara21 graph (A) to enable the registered apprentice22 ship program sponsor to place into a cor23 responding registered apprenticeship those indi24 viduals who successfully complete the pre-ap25 prenticeship program; 


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1 (C) information about the entity that dem2 onstrates the existence of an active, advisory 

3 partnership between the partners described in 

4 paragraph (2)(C) and the capacity, of a train5 ing and education provider in the entity, to pro6 vide the training and education services nec7 essary for a pre-apprenticeship program; and 

8 (D) information about the proposed pre9 apprenticeship program that demonstrates— 

10 (i) that the program is in an in-de11 mand industry or occupation in the region 

12 in which the project is located; 

13 (ii) the use of integrated work-based 

14 and academic learning that may include 

15 training in the workplace; 

16 (iii) the inclusion of career exploration 

17 focused activities, such as job shadowing, 

18 career information activities, and re ́sume ́

19 preparation, in the program; 

20 (iv) if the entity carrying out the 

21 project includes a high school, that the 

22 model to be used for the program leads to 

23 a high school diploma for participants 

24 without such a diploma; 


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1 (v) how the pre-apprenticeship pro2 gram is aligned with and leverages re3 sources of career and technical education 

4 programs, programs and services author5 ized under the Workforce Innovation and 

6 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), 

7 or activities of entities that provide sup8 portive services for participants in pre-ap9 prenticeship programs; and 

10 (vi) that the project aligns with an es11 tablished registered apprenticeship pro12 gram, including that the model used for 

13 the program leads to the attainment of 

14 skills and competencies necessary for en15 trance into the registered apprenticeship 

16 program for participants. 

17 (4) USE OF FUNDS.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

19 receives a grant under this subsection shall use 

20 the grant funds to carry out a project that im21 plements a pre-apprenticeship program. 

22 (B) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The eligible 

23 entity shall use the grant funds— 


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1 (i) to pay for the cost of training or 

2 education associated with the pre-appren3 ticeship program; 

4 (ii) for curriculum development that 

5 align with the requirements of the appro6 priate registered apprenticeship programs 

7 and learning assessments; 

8 (iii) to maintain a connection between 

9 the pre-apprenticeship program and reg10 istered apprenticeship program; 

11 (iv) for assessments of potential par12 ticipants for, and enrollment of the partici13 pants in, the pre-apprenticeship program; 

14 and 

15 (v) to conduct evaluations described in 

16 paragraph (6)(B). 

17 (C) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—The eligible 

18 entity may use the grant funds for— 

19 (i) teacher training, including pro20 viding externship opportunities for teachers 

21 to learn about the skill needs of the indus22 try or occupation that the pre-apprentice23 ship program focuses on; 

24 (ii) stipends for participants during 

25 work-based training in the program; or 


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1 (iii) coordination of activities under 

2 this subsection with activities carried out 

3 under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

4 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

5 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) or the Workforce In6 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

7 3101 et seq.). 

8 (5) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of 

10 the cost described in paragraph (2)(A) shall be 

11 75 percent. 

12 (B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The eligible 

13 entity may contribute the non-Federal share of 

14 the cost in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, in15 cluding plant, equipment, or services. 

16 (6) PERFORMANCE.— 

17 (A) MEASURES.—The Secretary shall iden18 tify a set of common measures that, at a min19 imum, include measures of entry into a reg20 istered apprenticeship program and that are 

21 aligned with performance accountability meas22 ures described in section 116(c) of the Work23 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

24 U.S.C. 3141(c)) for the local workforce develop25 ment area (meaning a local area, as defined in 


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1 section 3 of that Act) and with corresponding 

2 measures under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

3 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 

4 2301 et seq.), as appropriate. 

5 (B) EVALUATIONS.—Each eligible entity 

6 that receives a grant to carry out a project 

7 under this subsection shall arrange for another 

8 qualified entity to conduct an evaluation, or 

9 shall participate in a Department of Labor 

10 sponsored evaluation, of the project using the 

11 identified common measures, and shall, to the 

12 extent practicable, cooperate with the evaluator 

13 in any evaluations of activities carried out 

14 under this section. 

15 (C) EXTENSIONS.—The Secretary shall 

16 use the results of an evaluation for a project to 

17 determine whether to extend the grant period, 

18 or renew a grant, for the project under para19 graph (2)(B). 

20 (c) PROMOTING AWARENESS OF REGISTERED AP21 PRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—To promote awareness about 

23 registered apprenticeship programs, the Secretary, 

24 in cooperation with the Secretary of Education and 

25 the Secretary of Commerce, shall ensure that timely, 


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1 current information about the value of registered ap2 prenticeship programs in the labor market is made 

3 available through a range of widely accessible for4 mats and venues. The information shall be made 

5 available to businesses, trade associations, profes6 sional associations, students, parents, workers, edu7 cational institutions, workforce and economic devel8 opment organizations, and State and local elected of9 ficials. 

10 (2) INFORMATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL

11 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS.—To promote 

12 awareness about registered apprenticeship programs 

13 within the workforce development system, the Sec14 retary shall disseminate information on the value of 

15 registered apprenticeship programs, to State and 

16 local workforce development boards described in sub17 section (b)(2)(C)(iv), which information shall in18 clude— 

19 (A) a list of registered apprenticeship pro20 grams in the State involved; 

21 (B) guidance for training staff of the 

22 workforce development system within the State 

23 on the value of registered apprenticeship pro24 grams, including relevant placement, retention 


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1 and earnings information, as a training option 

2 for participants; 

3 (C) guidance on how individual training 

4 accounts under section 134(c)(3) of the Work5 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

6 U.S.C. 3174(c)(3)) could be used by partici7 pants for a registered apprenticeship program; 

8 and 

9 (D) guidance on how performance account10 ability measures under section 116 of the 

11 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

12 U.S.C. 3141) apply to participants in registered 

13 apprenticeship programs, including relevant 

14 placement, retention and earnings information. 

15 (3) INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS, TRADE AS16 SOCIATIONS, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, INDUS17 TRY GROUPS AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.—To pro18 mote awareness about registered apprenticeship pro19 grams to workers and employers, the Secretary, in 

20 cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall 

21 provide information about the value of registered ap22 prenticeship programs, including relevant placement, 

23 retention and earnings information, through the one24 stop delivery systems described in section 121 of the 

25 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 


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1 U.S.C. 3151), to employers, trade associations, pro2 fessional associations, industry groups, and labor or3 ganizations, which information shall include, at a 

4 minimum— 

5 (A) a list of registered apprenticeship pro6 grams in the State; 

7 (B) information on how to develop a reg8 istered apprenticeship program; and 

9 (C) information on financial resources 

10 available to assist with the establishment and 

11 implementation of registered apprenticeship 

12 programs. 

13 (4) INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AND

14 SCHOOLS.—To promote awareness about registered 

15 apprenticeship programs among students and school 

16 staff, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Sec17 retary of Education, shall disseminate information 

18 on the value of registered apprenticeship programs, 

19 including relevant placement, retention and earnings 

20 information, to high schools, area career and tech21 nical education schools (as defined in subsection 

22 (b)(2)(C)(i)), 2- and 4-year postsecondary edu23 cational institutions, and educational service agen24 cies, to enable, at a minimum— 


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1 (A) parents to understand registered ap2 prenticeship programs and their value in post3 secondary education and career pathways; 

4 (B) students to understand registered ap5 prenticeship programs and their value in career 

6 pathways; 

7 (C) career and academic counselors to un8 derstand registered apprenticeship programs as 

9 a valuable postsecondary education option for 

10 students leading to job placement in in-demand 

11 industries and occupations; and 

12 (D) school administrators, workforce and 

13 economic development coordinators, and teach14 ers and faculty to assist with the development, 

15 implementation, and continuation of registered 

16 apprenticeship programs. 

17 (d) SECRETARY’S NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

18 ON APPRENTICESHIPS.— 

19 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—There is established in 

21 the Department of Labor a National Advisory 

22 Committee on Apprenticeships, referred to in 

23 this section as the ‘‘Advisory Committee’’. 

24 (B) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Com25 mittee shall have— 


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1 (i) 21 voting members appointed by 

2 the Secretary, composed of— 

3 (I) 7 representatives of employers 

4 who participate in a registered ap5 prenticeship program, including em6 ployers who participate in a registered 

7 apprenticeship program sponsored by 

8 a joint labor-management partnership; 

9 (II) 7 representatives of labor or10 ganizations who have responsibility 

11 for the administration of a registered 

12 apprenticeship program sponsored by 

13 a joint labor-management partnership; 

14 and 

15 (III) 7 representatives of State 

16 apprenticeship agencies, community 

17 organizations with significant experi18 ence with a registered apprenticeship 

19 program, and 2- or 4-year postsec20 ondary educational institutions with 

21 at least one articulation agreement 

22 with the entity administering a reg23 istered apprenticeship program; and 

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1 ments of Labor, Commerce, Education, 

2 Energy, Housing and Urban Development, 

3 and Health and Human Services. 

4 (C) QUALIFICATIONS.—The members shall 

5 be selected upon the basis of their experience 

6 and competence concerning apprenticeships. 

7 (D) TERMS.—The Secretary shall appoint 

8 the members for terms of 4 years. 

9 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary shall des10 ignate one of the members of the Advisory Com11 mittee to serve as Chairperson of the Advisory Com12 mittee. 

13 (3) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Committee shall 

14 hold not fewer than 2 meetings during each calendar 

15 year. All meetings of the Advisory Committee shall 

16 be open to the public. A transcript shall be kept of 

17 each meeting and made available for public inspec18 tion. 

19 (4) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall 

20 advise, consult with, and make recommendations to 

21 the Secretary on matters relating to the administra22 tion of this title and the Act of August 16, 1937 

23 (commonly known as the ‘‘National Apprenticeship 

24 Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et 

25 seq.). 


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1 (5) PERSONNEL.— 

2 (A) PROCUREMENT.— 

3 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of 

4 the Advisory Committee may procure the 

5 temporary and intermittent services of vot6 ing members of the Advisory Committee 

7 under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 

8 States Code, at rates for individuals that 

9 do not exceed the daily equivalent of the 

10 annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 

11 level V of the Executive Schedule under 

12 section 5316 of such title. 

13 (ii) OFFICERS OR EMPLOYEES OF THE

14 UNITED STATES.—All members of the Ad15 visory Committee who are officers or em16 ployees of the United States shall serve 

17 without compensation in addition to that 

18 received for their services as officers or 

19 employees of the United States. 

20 (B) STAFF.—The Secretary shall supply 

21 the Committee with an executive secretary and 

22 provide such secretarial, clerical, and other 

23 services as the Secretary determines to be nec24 essary to enable the Advisory Committee to 

25 conduct its business. 


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1 (6) PERMANENT COMMITTEE.—Section 14 of 

2 the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 

3 App.) shall not apply to the advisory committee. 

4 (e) EVALUATIONS AND RESEARCH.— 

5 (1) EVALUATIONS OF PROGRAMS AND ACTIVI6 TIES CARRIED OUT UNDER THIS TITLE.—For the 

7 purpose of improving the management and effective8 ness of the programs and activities carried out 

9 under this title, the Secretary shall provide for the 

10 continuing evaluation, by an independent entity, of 

11 the programs and activities, including activities car12 ried out under subsection (a)(3)(C). Such evalua13 tions shall address— 

14 (A) the general effectiveness of such pro15 grams and activities in relation to their cost, in16 cluding the extent to which the programs and 

17 activities— 

18 (i) improve the skill and employment 

19 competencies of participants in comparison 

20 to comparably situated individuals who did 

21 not participate in such programs and ac22 tivities; and 

23 (ii) to the extent feasible, increase the 

24 level of total employment and recognized 

25 postsecondary credential attainment over 


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1 the level that would have existed in the ab2 sence of such programs and activities; 

3 (B) the impact of the programs and activi4 ties for the participants, sponsors, and employ5 ers; 

6 (C) the return on investment of Federal, 

7 State, local, sponsor, employer, and other fund8 ing for registered apprenticeships to capture the 

9 full level of investment in, and impact of, reg10 istered apprenticeships; 

11 (D) the longitudinal outcomes for partici12 pants in the programs and activities; and 

13 (E) the impact of specific policies on the 

14 general effectiveness of such programs and ac15 tivities. 

16 (2) RESEARCH.—The Secretary may conduct, 

17 through an independent entity, research on best 

18 practices in registered apprenticeship programs and 

19 pre-apprenticeship programs and other issues relat20 ing to such programs. 

21 (3) TECHNIQUES.—Evaluations and research 

22 conducted under this subsection shall utilize appro23 priate methodology and research designs. 

24 (4) REPORTS.—The independent entity carrying 

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1 search described in paragraph (2) shall prepare and 

2 submit to the Secretary a final report containing the 

3 results of the evaluations or research, respectively, 

4 and including policy recommendations. The final re5 port shall be made available for public inspection. 

6 Not later than 36 months after the date of enact7 ment of this Act, the Secretary shall produce a final 

8 report related to the return on investment described 

9 in paragraph (1)(C). 

10 (5) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

11 60 days after the completion of all the final reports 

12 described in paragraph (4), the Secretary shall 

13 transmit the final reports to the Committee on Edu14 cation and the Workforce of the House of Rep15 resentatives and the Committee on Health, Edu16 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 

17 (6) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The Secretary shall de18 velop a mechanism to make research developed 

19 under this title publicly available in a timely manner. 

20 (f) RESERVATION.—The Secretary shall reserve not 

21 less than 10 percent of the funds appropriated under sub22 section (g) for each fiscal year for grants to States. A 

23 State that receives such a grant shall use the grant funds 

24 for the purpose of assisting the Administrator in carrying 

25 out the activities under this section, and may use the grant 


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1 funds to support the voluntary establishment of a State 

2 apprenticeship office, if no such office exists in the State. 

3 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

4 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

5 $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and each subsequent 

6 year. 

7 SEC. 102. PROMOTING INTEGRATION WITH POSTSEC8 ONDARY EDUCATION. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) COLLABORATIVE.—The term ‘‘Collabo11 rative’’ means the Registered Apprenticeship-College 

12 Collaborative established under subsection (b)(1). 

13 (2) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

14 means the Secretary of Labor, acting through the 

15 Administrator, working jointly with the Secretary of 

16 Education, acting through the Assistant Secretary 

17 for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Edu18 cation. 

19 (b) COLLABORATIVE WITH 2- AND 4-YEAR POSTSEC20 ONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

21 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretaries shall 

22 establish and maintain a voluntary Registered Ap23 prenticeship-College Collaborative. The Collaborative 

24 shall consist of the sponsors carrying out registered 

25 apprenticeship programs, 2- or 4-year postsecondary 


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1 educational institutions, and organizations that rep2 resent such programs or institutions, that agree to 

3 meet certain criteria in order to support the pur4 poses described in paragraph (2). 

5 (2) PURPOSES.—The Collaborative shall sup6 port the purposes of— 

7 (A) promoting stronger connections be8 tween the registered apprenticeship programs 

9 involved and participating 2- and 4-year post10 secondary educational institutions; 

11 (B) promoting the translation of experi12 ence in a registered apprenticeship program to 

13 academic credit at participating 2- and 4-year 

14 postsecondary educational institutions; 

15 (C) facilitating the enrollment of an indi16 vidual who has completed a registered appren17 ticeship program (referred to in this section as 

18 an ‘‘apprentice’’) at a participating 2- or 4-year 

19 postsecondary educational institution for the 

20 purpose of attaining academic credit toward an 

21 associate’s or more advanced degree; 

22 (D) advancing the attainment of associ23 ate’s and more advanced degrees by appren24 tices; 


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1 (E) promoting the attainment of recog2 nized postsecondary credentials with value in 

3 the labor market; and 

4 (F) expanding awareness about the value 

5 of registered apprenticeship programs as a 

6 postsecondary education option. 

7 (3) PARTICIPANT REQUIREMENTS.—The Secre8 taries shall establish criteria that any interested 2- 

9 or 4-year postsecondary educational institution or 

10 sponsor shall meet in order to participate in the Col11 laborative, which criteria shall include, at a min12 imum— 

13 (A) for a 2- or 4-year postsecondary edu14 cational institution— 

15 (i) agreement to recognize and accept 

16 the academic credit (as assessed under 

17 subparagraph (B)(i)) earned by an appren18 tice for, and the assessment of the appren19 tice’s learning in, a registered apprentice20 ship program at another participating in21 stitution; 

22 (ii) agreement to have a formal ar23 ticulation agreement with a participating 

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1 gram, other than a 2- or 4-year postsec2 ondary educational institution; and 

3 (iii) agreement to provide certain in4 formation, as determined by the Secre5 taries, to the Collaborative; and 

6 (B) for a sponsor— 

7 (i) agreement to participate in third8 party evaluations of the quality and rigor 

9 of the program offerings in order to deter10 mine the value of academic credit for 

11 learning during a registered apprenticeship 

12 program; 

13 (ii) agreement to have a formal ar14 ticulation agreement with a participating 

15 2- or 4-year postsecondary educational in16 stitution; and 

17 (iii) agreement to provide certain in18 formation, as determined by the Secre19 taries, to the Collaborative. 

20 (4) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—In order to participate 

22 in the Collaborative, interested 2- or 4-year 

23 postsecondary educational institutions and 

24 sponsors shall agree to meet certain conditions 

25 determined by the Secretaries. 


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1 (B) CONDITIONS.—Such conditions shall 

2 address, at a minimum— 

3 (i) how learning during a registered 

4 apprenticeship program, including related 

5 instruction and on-the-job training, will be 

6 assessed for academic credit; 

7 (ii) how programs and procedures, es8 pecially those related to admissions, credit 

9 transfer, and recognition of such learning 

10 will be structured to support accessibility 

11 for apprentices; 

12 (iii) how the structure and scheduling 

13 of courses will be developed in a way that 

14 supports the matriculation of apprentices; 

15 and 

16 (iv) how residency requirements will 

17 support the transferability of credit earned 

18 by apprentices. 

19 (5) PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION.—The 

20 Secretaries shall maintain a publicly accessible 

21 website identifying, at a minimum— 

22 (A) the participating members of the Col23 laborative in each State; 


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1 (B) a model for articulation agreements, 

2 and copies of some exemplary articulation 

3 agreements for illustrative purposes; and 

4 (C) such other information as the Secre5 taries determine to be necessary to promote 

6 awareness of the Collaborative and its members. 

7 (6) USE OF FUNDS.— 

8 (A) ADMINISTRATIVE.—The Secretaries 

9 shall use 30 percent of the funds appropriated 

10 under subsection (c) to establish and maintain 

11 the Collaborative and the website referred to in 

12 paragraph (5), to support the advisory com13 mittee referred to in paragraph (6), and for 

14 technical assistance, evaluation, and research 

15 activities. 

16 (B) FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.—The 

17 Secretaries shall use 70 percent of the appro18 priated funds to carry out, directly or by grant 

19 or contract with an eligible entity, activities 

20 consisting of— 

21 (i) providing funding to Collaborative 

22 participants to support the development of 

23 articulation agreements with other Collabo24 rative participants; 


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1 (ii) providing funding to the Collabo2 rative to support the assessment of learn3 ing during a registered apprenticeship pro4 gram, for academic credit; 

5 (iii) providing funding to the Collabo6 rative to support third-party evaluations of 

7 the quality and rigor of program offerings, 

8 referred to in paragraph (3)(B)(i), which 

9 evaluations shall be conducted by an entity 

10 that meets minimum criteria as established 

11 by the Secretaries; 

12 (iv) providing curriculum develop13 ment, for participating institutions and 

14 sponsors; and 

15 (v) carrying out other purposes that 

16 will help participating 2- and 4-year post17 secondary educational institutions and 

18 sponsors meet the requirements of para19 graphs (3) and (4). 

20 (C) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to 

21 receive a grant or contract under subparagraph 

22 (B), an entity shall be a partnership comprised 

23 of— 


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1 (i) at least 1-, 2-, or 4-year postsec2 ondary educational institution participating 

3 in the Collaborative; and 

4 (ii) at least 1 sponsor of a registered 

5 apprenticeship program participating in 

6 the Collaborative. 

7 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

8 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

9 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and each subsequent year. 

10 TITLE II—PROGRAM DEVELOP11 MENT AND ENHANCEMENT 

12 SEC. 201. EXPANDING REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO13 GRAMS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide pay15 ments of assistance for eligible sponsors of new (as of the 

16 date of submission of an application under subsection (b)) 

17 registered apprenticeship programs, or for eligible spon18 sors of existing registered apprenticeship programs that 

19 add employers as new (as of such date) partners, which 

20 may include joint labor-management registered appren21 ticeship programs. 

22 (b) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive pay23 ments under this section for a registered apprenticeship 

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1 retary including information demonstrating that (as of the 

2 date of submission)— 

3 (1)(A) for a new registered apprenticeship pro4 gram, the program received recognition as a reg5 istered apprenticeship program within the 36 

6 months preceding that date; or 

7 (B) for an existing registered apprenticeship 

8 program (which may include joint labor-management 

9 registered apprenticeship programs), employers were 

10 added as new partners within the 36 months pre11 ceding that date; 

12 (2) the sponsor offered jobs that lead to eco13 nomic self-sufficiency, as determined by a local 

14 workforce development board located in the same 

15 local workforce development area (meaning a local 

16 area, as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Inno17 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)); 

18 (3) the sponsor has demonstrated success in en19 rolling, instructing, advancing, and graduating indi20 viduals in the relevant registered apprenticeship pro21 gram, and in the employment of such individuals 

22 after completion of the program; and 

23 (4) the sponsor had not received a payment 

24 under subsection (d) for that registered apprentice25 ship program. 


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1 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—In providing assistance under 

2 this section, the Secretary shall arrange to provide pay3 ments as described in subsection (a) for eligible sponsors, 

4 as funds are available under this section. Funds made 

5 available through such a payment shall be used to reim6 burse an eligible sponsor for the allowable costs of estab7 lishing or expanding the registered apprenticeship pro8 gram involved. The maximum total payment to any one 

9 sponsor may not exceed $25,000 or 50 percent of the al10 lowable costs. 

11 (d) DISBURSEMENT.—The Secretary shall enter into 

12 arrangements with State workforce development boards to 

13 make disbursements through the local workforce develop14 ment boards described in subsection (b)(2) to provide the 

15 payments to the eligible sponsors. 

16 (e) EVALUATIONS.—Sponsors receiving grants under 

17 this section shall, to the extent practicable, cooperate with 

18 the Secretary in the conduct of evaluations of the activities 

19 carried out under this section. 

20 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

22 appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 

23 for fiscal year 2021 and each subsequent year. 

24 (2) RESERVATION.—The Secretary may reserve 

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1 graph (1) for a fiscal year for distribution to the 

2 State workforce development boards and local work3 force development boards, to pay for the costs of the 

4 boards associated with making determinations under 

5 subsection (b)(2) and disbursements under sub6 section (d), and as funds remain available, other 

7 costs of administration and management, technical 

8 assistance, research, and evaluation under this Act. 

Æ 


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