I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 658 

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 31, 2023 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself, Mr. GUTHRIE, and Ms. SPANBERGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Labor to award grants to eligible 

entities to carry out or expand youth apprenticeship programs. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Youth 

5 Apprenticeships Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

8 effective date of the Strengthening Youth Apprenticeships 

9 Act of 2023, in order to cooperate with the Secretary of 


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1 Education and promote awareness and adoption of ap2 prenticeship programs, the Secretary of Labor shall— 

3 (1) enter into an interagency agreement with 

4 the Secretary of Education to promote and support 

5 integration and alignment of programs under the 

6 national apprenticeship system with secondary, post7 secondary, and adult education, through the activi8 ties described in this section; and 

9 (2) submit to the Committee on Education and 

10 the Workforce of the House of Representatives and 

11 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

12 Pensions of Senate, such agreement and any modi13 fications to such agreement. 

14 (b) ALIGNMENT FOR YOUTH APPRENTICESHIPS.—In 

15 order to promote alignment between youth apprenticeship 

16 programs and high school graduation requirements, the 

17 interagency agreement under subsection (a) shall describe 

18 how the Secretaries will work to provide— 

19 (1) information and resources to— 

20 (A) parents and students to promote a bet21 ter understanding of programs under the na22 tional apprenticeship system and their value in 

23 secondary and postsecondary education and ca24 reer pathways by not later than middle school; 

25 and 


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1 (B) school leaders (working with academic 

2 counselors, teachers, and faculty) about the 

3 value of such programs and information on how 

4 to effectively align youth apprenticeship pro5 grams with secondary and career and technical 

6 education programs; and 

7 (2) technical assistance on how to— 

8 (A) align related instruction and 

9 apprenticeable occupation skills and com10 petencies to high school graduation require11 ments; 

12 (B) offer related instruction through dual 

13 and concurrent enrollment programs and other 

14 accelerated learning programs, as described in 

15 section 4104(b)(3)(A)(i)(IV) of the Elementary 

16 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

17 U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(A)(i)(IV)); 

18 (C) facilitate transitions for youth appren19 tices who have completed their youth appren20 ticeships into further education, including an 

21 associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree, 

22 and related apprenticeship opportunities; and 

23 (D) align activities carried out under this 

24 Act with eligible funding from, and planning 

25 processes, for the Carl D. Perkins Career and 


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

2 2301 et seq.), the Elementary and Secondary 

3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et 

4 seq.), the Individuals with Disabilities Edu5 cation Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 

6 the Higher Education Act of 1965. 

7 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated 

9 under section 7, the Secretary of Labor, in consultation 

10 with the Secretary of Education, shall award grants to eli11 gible entities to create or expand youth apprenticeship 

12 programs. 

13 (b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this Act, 

14 the Secretary shall prioritize eligible entities that will use 

15 the grant to carry out or expand youth apprenticeship pro16 grams for individuals that include nontraditional appren17 ticeship populations. 

18 (c) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In awarding 

19 grants under this subsection, the Secretary of Labor shall, 

20 to the extent practicable, ensure an equitable geographic 

21 distribution of grants, including an equitable distribution 

22 among States, within States, and to urban and rural 

23 areas. 


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1 SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS. 

2 An eligible entity desiring to receive a grant under 

3 this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary of 

4 Labor, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 

5 may require, and which shall include the following: 

6 (1) How the youth apprenticeship program the 

7 eligible entity will expand or carry out using the 

8 grant will meet the best practices and joint guidance 

9 developed under section 2. 

10 (2) How such program will be aligned with and 

11 fulfill the indicators described in section 6(a). 

12 (3) How such program will prepare individuals 

13 for work in high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand in14 dustry sectors or occupations. 

15 (4) How such program will recruit and retain to 

16 ensure that non-traditional apprenticeship popu17 lations participate in such program. 

18 (5) How such program will, to the extent prac19 ticable, align with high school diploma requirements 

20 and career cluster. 

21 (6) The ability of the applicant, directly or 

22 through partners to enroll, instruct, advance, and 

23 graduate youth apprentices served by the grant ac24 tivities, and enable the participants to enroll in fur25 ther education, gain employment after program com26 pletion. 


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1 (7) An assurance that the eligible entity will— 

2 (A) provide information to the Adminis3 trator, as requested, for any such evaluations as 

4 the Administrator may carry out; 

5 (B) make program performance outcome 

6 data available (in accordance with applicable 

7 data privacy laws, including section 444 of the 

8 General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 

9 1232g)) to independent evaluators to enable the 

10 evaluators to prepare the evaluations and re11 ports under section 6; and 

12 (C) coordinate grant activities with a State 

13 Apprenticeship Agency, if such agency exists in 

14 the State where the eligible entity is applying 

15 for a grant or carrying out activities. 

16 SEC. 5. GRANT USES OF FUNDS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that receives a 

18 grant under this Act shall use the grant funds that are 

19 not reserved under subsection (b) to carry out or expand 

20 a youth apprenticeship program, which may include using 

21 the grant funds for 1 or more of the following: 

22 (1) Recruitment, retention, and completion of 

23 such program. 

24 (2) Program alignment with the challenging 

25 State academic standards adopted by the State in 


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1 which the program will be expanded or carried out 

2 under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and 

3 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

4 6311(b)(1)) with the technical skills and career com5 petencies that are applicable to and transferable to 

6 high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors 

7 or occupations. 

8 (3) Paying for the costs associated with cur9 riculum development and alignment of that cur10 riculum with industry-recognized credentials, high 

11 school graduation requirements, and related instruc12 tion, including curriculum development for dual or 

13 concurrent enrollment. 

14 (4) Facilitating or expanding partnerships with 

15 a community college or consortium of community 

16 colleges to help with transferability of credits and 

17 the increased use of dual and concurrent enrollment 

18 programs. 

19 (5) Engaging employers for participation in 

20 youth apprenticeship programs, which may include: 

21 (A) Creating and expanding industry or 

22 sector partnerships for the purpose of sup23 porting new program development or program 

24 expansion. 


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1 (B) Providing employers technical assist2 ance to support the participation of youth ap3 prentices under the age of 18. 

4 (C) Providing technical assistance to sup5 port the participation of small- and medium6 sized businesses in youth apprenticeship pro7 grams. 

8 (6) Providing supportive services and career 

9 planning activities, including career exploration of 

10 postsecondary opportunities such as apprenticeship 

11 programs, for the participants of the youth appren12 ticeship program, which may include— 

13 (A) promoting the early exposure of stu14 dents to the opportunities and requirements of 

15 apprenticeship programs; 

16 (B) creating opportunities for students to 

17 explore a career and develop occupational skills 

18 while in high school; and 

19 (C) supporting the costs associated with 

20 fees, transportation, child care, or mobility chal21 lenges. 

22 (7) Providing teachers, career guidance and 

23 academic counselors, school leaders, administrators, 

24 specialized instructional support personnel, and 

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1 portunities to build an understanding of apprentice2 ship opportunities available to students, including 

3 experiential opportunities like externships. 

4 (b) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity 

5 that receives a grant under this Act shall reserve not less 

6 than 5 percent of the grant funds to provide direct finan7 cial assistance for recruitment, retention, and completion 

8 efforts with respect to the youth apprenticeship program, 

9 such as housing, transportation, childcare, food insecurity, 

10 and health issues. 

11 SEC. 6. EVALUATION. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity receiving a 

13 grant under this Act shall submit, on an annual basis, to 

14 the Secretary a performance report with respect to the 

15 participants of the youth apprenticeship program receiving 

16 assistance under this Act that measures— 

17 (1) the percentage of program participants who 

18 are in education or training activities, or in unsub19 sidized employment, during the second quarter after 

20 exit from the program; 

21 (2) the percentage of program participants who 

22 are in education or training activities, or in unsub23 sidized employment, during the fourth quarter after 

24 exit from the program; 


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1 (3) the median earnings of program partici2 pants who are in unsubsidized employment during 

3 the second quarter after exit from the program; 

4 (4) the percentage of program participants who 

5 obtain, during participation in or within 1 year after 

6 exit from the program— 

7 (A) a recognized postsecondary credential; 

8 or 

9 (B) a secondary school diploma or its rec10 ognized equivalent, as measured by— 

11 (i) the four-year adjusted cohort grad12 uation rate (defined in section 8101 of the 

13 Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

14 of 1965); and 

15 (ii) at the State’s discretion, the ex16 tended-year adjusted cohort graduation 

17 rate defined in such section 8101; 

18 (5) the percentage of program participants who, 

19 during a program year, are in an education or train20 ing program that leads to a recognized postsec21 ondary credential or employment and who are 

22 achieving measurable skill gains toward such a cre23 dential or employment; and 

24 (6) the percentage of program participants who 

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1 cation and training activities in an industry sector or 

2 occupation for which the youth apprenticeship pro3 gram provides preparation. 

4 (b) DISAGGREGATION.—Each performance report 

5 submitted under subsection (a) shall be disaggregated by 

6 race, ethnicity, sex, age, and membership in a population 

7 specified in section 3(24) of the Workforce Innovation and 

8 Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(24)). 

9 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

11 as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal year 

12 2024 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. 

13 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The term 

16 ‘‘apprenticeship program’’ means an apprenticeship 

17 program registered under the Act of August 16, 

18 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National Appren19 ticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 

20 50 et seq.). 

21 (2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘‘commu22 nity college’’ means a public institution of higher 

23 education at which the highest degree awarded is an 

24 associate’s degree. 


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1 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti2 ty’’ means a partnership that— 

3 (A) shall include— 

4 (i) 1 or more of the entities listed in 

5 clauses (i) through (iv) or clause (vii) of 

6 section 3(19)(A) of Carl D. Perkins Career 

7 and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

8 U.S.C. 2302(19)(A)); and 

9 (ii) 1 or more community colleges; 

10 and 

11 (B) to the extent practicable, shall in12 clude— 

13 (i) a State or local board; 

14 (ii) an industry or sector partnership; 

15 (iii) a community-based organization; 

16 and 

17 (iv) the State Apprenticeship Agency, 

18 if such agency exists in the State in which 

19 the grant is awarded. 

20 (4) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘dual or concur21 rent enrollment program’’, ‘‘high school’’, and ‘‘sec22 ondary school’’ have the meanings given the terms 

23 in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

24 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 


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1 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

3 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

5 (6) NON-TRADITIONAL APPRENTICESHIP POPU6 LATIONS.—The term ‘‘non-traditional apprenticeship 

7 populations’’ means individuals who are of a gender 

8 or from a race or ethnicity that comprises less than 

9 25 percent of the individuals participating in ap10 prenticeship programs. 

11 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

12 the Secretary of Labor. 

13 (8) WIOA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘local board’’, 

14 ‘‘community-based organization’’, ‘‘in-demand indus15 try sector or occupation’’, and ‘‘industry or sector 

16 partnership’’ have the meanings given the terms in 

17 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor18 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

19 (9) YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The 

20 term ‘‘youth apprenticeship program’’ means a pro21 gram designed for youth apprentices who at the 

22 start of the program are enrolled in high school and 

23 which includes each of the following core elements: 


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1 (A) The employment and training to be re2 ceived by each youth apprentice participating in 

3 the program, including— 

4 (i) an outline of the work processes or 

5 plan in which the youth apprentice will re6 ceive supervised work experience and train7 ing on the job or in an experiential setting; 

8 (ii) the allocation of the approximate 

9 amount of time to be spent in each major 

10 work process; 

11 (iii) mentoring that will be provided to 

12 the youth apprentice; and 

13 (iv) a description or timeline explain14 ing the periodic reviews and evaluations of 

15 the youth apprentice’s performance on the 

16 job and in related instruction. 

17 (B) A process for maintaining appropriate 

18 progress records, including the evaluations de19 scribed in section 6. 

20 (C) Related classroom-based instruction, 

21 which may be fulfilled through dual or concur22 rent enrollment, and is, to the extent prac23 ticable, aligned with high school diploma re24 quirements and career clusters. 


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1 (D) A progressively increasing, clearly de2 fined schedule of wages to be paid to the youth 

3 apprentice. 

4 (E) Provides all individuals with an equal 

5 opportunity to participate in youth apprentice6 ships under the program, including through the 

7 method for the selection of youth apprentices. 

8 (F) The methods used to measure skill ac9 quisition for an apprentice, including ongoing 

10 assessment against established skill and com11 petency standards, established against skill and 

12 competency standards. 

13 (G) Prepares the youth apprentice for 

14 placement in further education, employment, or 

15 an apprenticeship program. 

16 (H) The program— 

17 (i) has adequate and safe equipment, 

18 environments, and facilities for training 

19 and supervision; 

20 (ii) provides safety training on-the-job 

21 and in related instruction as applicable by 

22 apprenticeable occupation; and 

23 (iii) provides adequate training for 

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1 viding a safe work and training environ2 ment. 

3 (I) The program awards a certificate of 

4 completion in recognition of successful comple5 tion of the program, evidenced by an appro6 priate certificate issued by the registration 

7 agency, and culminates in a recognized postsec8 ondary credential. 

9 (J) The program provides that an indi10 vidual who is to become a youth apprentice en11 ters into a written apprenticeship agreement 

12 with the sponsor of the program. 

Æ 


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