I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5635 

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

employment, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 6, 2016 

Mr. POCAN (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. NORTON, 

Ms. LEE, Mr. HONDA, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. MOORE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 

NADLER, Mr. POLIS, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. GRIJALVA, 

Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. NORCROSS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. 

MURPHY of Florida, Mr. KIND, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. SWALWELL of California, and Mr. KILDEE) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce 

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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Leveraging Effective Apprenticeships to Rebuild Na6 tional Skills Act’’ or the ‘‘LEARNS Act’’. 


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

2 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. 

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

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

5 (1) A highly skilled workforce is necessary to 

6 compete in the global economy, support economic 

7 growth, and maintain the standard of living of the 

8 United States. 

9 (2) The apprenticeship model is a longstanding, 

10 on-the-job training and education model that pre11 pares workers for the skill demands of particular oc12 cupations and employers while, at the same time, 

13 providing the workers with recognized, portable cre14 dentials, and wages while in training. 

15 (3) The registered apprenticeship program 

16 model has been successful in skilled trade industries, 

17 including construction and manufacturing, as well as 

18 service industries, such as health care, and holds 

19 great potential for expansion into other industries. 


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1 (4) Registered apprenticeships are becoming in2 creasingly innovative and diverse in their designs, 

3 partnerships, timeframes, and use of emerging con4 cepts such as competency-based learning, and will 

5 continue to evolve to meet emerging skill require6 ments, while maintaining high standards and qual7 ity. 

8 (5) Registered apprenticeship programs are an 

9 essential element of an effective workforce develop10 ment system and help individuals attain a recognized 

11 postsecondary credential, contributing to their per12 sonal economic sustainability. 

13 (6) According to a report from the Georgetown 

14 University Center on Education and the Workforce, 

15 by 2020 the United States will face a shortage of 

16 5,000,000 workers with recognized postsecondary 

17 credentials. 

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

19 E. Casey Foundation, youth employment in the 

20 United States has reached the lowest point since 

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

22 ages 16 through 24 are disconnected from school 

23 and work. 


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1 (8) A 2012 evaluation of registered apprentice2 ship programs in 10 States by Mathematica Policy 

3 Research found that— 

4 (A) individuals who completed registered 

5 apprenticeship programs earned over $240,000 

6 more over their careers than individuals not 

7 participating in such apprenticeship programs; 

8 (B) the estimated social benefits of reg9 istered apprenticeship programs, including addi10 tional productivity of apprentices and the reduc11 tion in governmental expenditures as a result of 

12 reduced use of unemployment compensation and 

13 public assistance, exceeded the costs of the pro14 grams by more than $49,000 per program; and 

15 (C) the tax return on every Federal Gov16 ernment dollar invested in registered appren17 ticeship programs was $27. 

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

19 (1) to increase the number of highly skilled 

20 workers in the United States, particularly in in-de21 mand industry sectors and occupations; 

22 (2) to increase the attainment of recognized 

23 postsecondary credentials by participants; 

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

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1 tive earn-and-learn model for students, workers, and 

2 employers; 

3 (4) to support the development and expansion 

4 of registered apprenticeship programs with employ5 ers, joint labor-management partnerships, trade and 

6 professional associations, and other program spon7 sors, that offer jobs that lead to economic self-suffi8 ciency; 

9 (5) to support the development and expansion 

10 of effective pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to 

11 success in a registered apprenticeship program; 

12 (6) to support a closer alignment between reg13 istered apprenticeship programs, the workforce de14 velopment system, career and technical education, 

15 and postsecondary education, including institutions 

16 of higher education; and 

17 (7) to support innovative models of effective 

18 work-based learning. 

19 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act: 

21 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis22 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Office of Ap23 prenticeship appointed under section 101(a). 

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

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


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1 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

2 (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

3 (3) EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY.—The 

4 term ‘‘educational service agency’’— 

5 (A) has the meaning given the term in sec6 tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

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

8 (B) includes a collaborative of those agen9 cies. 

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

11 means a nonprofit institutional day or residential 

12 school that— 

13 (A) provides secondary education, as deter14 mined under State law; 

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

16 State; and 

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

18 (5) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCUPA19 TION.—The term ‘‘in-demand industry sector or oc20 cupation’’ means has the meaning given the term in 

21 section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor22 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

23 (6) LOCAL AND STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOP24 MENT BOARDS.—The terms ‘‘local workforce devel25 opment board’’ and ‘‘State workforce development 


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

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

3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 

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

5 (7) NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM.—The 

6 term ‘‘national apprenticeship system’’ means the 

7 collective group of registered apprenticeship pro8 grams and pre-apprenticeship programs in the Na9 tion (including the rules and regulations governing 

10 the 2 types of programs). 

11 (8) POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITU12 TION.—The term ‘‘postsecondary educational institu13 tion’’ means an institution of higher education, as 

14 defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act 

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

16 (9) PRE-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The 

17 term ‘‘pre-apprenticeship program’’ means a pro18 gram or set of strategies that— 

19 (A) is designed to prepare individuals to 

20 enter and succeed in a registered apprenticeship 

21 program; 

22 (B) is carried out by an eligible entity 

23 (meaning an entity described in section 

24 101(b)(2)(C) that has an application approved 

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


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1 partnership with at least 1 sponsor of a reg2 istered apprenticeship program; and 

3 (C) includes each of the following elements: 

4 (i) Training (including a curriculum 

5 for the training), aligned with industry 

6 standards and reviewed and approved an7 nually by sponsors of the registered ap8 prenticeships within the documented part9 nership, that will prepare individuals by 

10 teaching the skills and competencies need11 ed to enter one or more registered appren12 ticeship programs. 

13 (ii) Provision of hands-on training and 

14 theoretical education to individuals that— 

15 (I) accurately simulates the in16 dustry and occupational conditions of 

17 the registered apprenticeship program 

18 described in subparagraph (B); 

19 (II) is carried out in a manner 

20 that includes proper observation of su21 pervision and safety protocols; and 

22 (III) is carried out in a manner 

23 that does not displace a paid em24 ployee. 


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1 (iii) A formal agreement with a spon2 sor of a registered apprenticeship program 

3 that would enable participants who suc4 cessfully complete the pre-apprenticeship 

5 program to enter directly into the reg6 istered apprenticeship program (if a place 

7 in the program is available), and includes 

8 agreements concerning earning credit rec9 ognized by a postsecondary educational in10 stitution for skills and competencies ac11 quired during the pre-apprenticeship pro12 gram. 

13 (10) RECOGNIZED POSTSECONDARY CREDEN14 TIAL.—The term ‘‘recognized postsecondary creden15 tial’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3 of 

16 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

17 U.S.C. 3102). 

18 (11) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO19 GRAM.—The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship pro20 gram’’ means a program registered under the Act of 

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

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

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

24 (12) SECRETARY.—Except as provided in sec25 tion 102 or as otherwise modified, the term ‘‘SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Jul 07, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5635.IH H5635

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1 retary’’ means the Secretary of Labor, acting 

2 through the Administrator. 

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

4 employer, joint labor-management partnership, trade 

5 association, professional association, labor organiza6 tion, or other entity that administers a registered 

7 apprenticeship program. 

8 TITLE I—PROMOTING 

9 REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS 

10 SEC. 101. PROMOTING REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PRO11 GRAMS. 

12 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF APPREN13 TICESHIP.— 

14 (1) OFFICE.—There is established, in the Em15 ployment and Training Administration of the De16 partment of Labor, an Office of Apprenticeship. 

17 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The Office shall be 

18 headed by an Administrator of the Office of Appren19 ticeship appointed by the Assistant Secretary for 

20 Employment and Training. The Assistant Secretary 

21 shall appoint an individual who has the dem22 onstrated knowledge of registered apprenticeship 

23 programs necessary to serve as the Administrator. 


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1 (3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Administrator, 

2 through the Office of Apprenticeship, shall carry out 

3 responsibilities including— 

4 (A) determining whether an apprenticeship 

5 program meets the requirements to become a 

6 registered apprenticeship program and main7 tains the standards necessary to remain a reg8 istered apprenticeship program; 

9 (B) managing the national apprenticeship 

10 system; 

11 (C) carrying out activities under subsection 

12 (b) to promote effective pre-apprenticeship pro13 grams; 

14 (D) promoting awareness about registered 

15 apprenticeship programs, including carrying out 

16 activities under subsection (c); 

17 (E) engaging in regular updates of the reg18 istration process, ensuring that such process is 

19 easily accessible and efficient for use by spon20 sors of registered apprenticeship programs; 

21 (F) regularly engage with the National Ad22 visory Committee on Apprenticeships and en23 sure that the required reports of the Committee 

24 are submitted to the Secretary and transmitted 

25 to Congress; 


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1 (G) promoting greater diversity in reg2 istered apprenticeship programs and pre-ap3 prenticeship programs, including by promoting 

4 outreach to underrepresented populations, 

5 youth, and veterans and supporting the develop6 ment of apprenticeship models; 

7 (H) providing for evaluations and research, 

8 as described in subsection (e); 

9 (I) providing technical assistance to spon10 sors of registered apprenticeship programs, en11 tities who are interested in developing and be12 coming sponsors of registered apprenticeship 

13 programs, and eligible entities carrying out pre14 apprenticeship programs; and 

15 (J) coordinating and aligning registered 

16 apprenticeship programs with other Federal 

17 education and training programs, including 

18 those authorized under the Workforce Innova19 tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et 

20 seq.) and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech21 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 

22 et seq.). 

23 (b) SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRE-AP24 PRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.— 


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

2 development of pre-apprenticeship programs. 

3 (2) GRANTS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Using funds available 

5 under subsection (f), the Secretary shall make 

6 grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities 

7 to provide the Federal share of the cost of car8 rying out projects that support that develop9 ment. 

10 (B) PERIOD.—The Secretary shall make 

11 initial grants under this paragraph for periods 

12 of not more than 3 years, except that if an eli13 gible entity demonstrates satisfactory perform14 ance under paragraph (6) by the end of that 

15 third year, the Secretary may extend the grant 

16 period up to an additional 1 year for that enti17 ty. 

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

19 receive a grant from the Secretary under this 

20 subsection, an entity shall be a public-private 

21 partnership consisting of— 

22 (i) a local educational agency, high 

23 school, area career and technical school (as 

24 defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins 

25 Career and Technical Education Act of 


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1 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)), educational serv2 ice agency (as defined in section 8101 of 

3 the Elementary and Secondary Education 

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

5 year postsecondary educational institution, 

6 or collaborative of such entities; 

7 (ii) in a State with a State entity rec8 ognized by the Secretary of Labor to reg9 ister apprenticeship programs in that 

10 State, that entity; 

11 (iii) an industry or business, con12 sisting of an employer, a group of employ13 ers, a trade association, a professional as14 sociation, or an entity that sponsors a reg15 istered apprenticeship program; 

16 (iv) a State workforce development 

17 board or local workforce development 

18 board; and 

19 (v) to the maximum extent prac20 ticable— 

21 (I) a labor organization associ22 ated with the industry or occupation 

23 related to the pre-apprenticeship pro24 gram involved; and 


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1 (II) a community-based organiza2 tion that provides pre-apprenticeship 

3 programs, as appropriate. 

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

5 grant from the Secretary under this subsection, an 

6 entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at 

7 such time, in such manner, and containing such in8 formation as the Secretary may require, including— 

9 (A) a description of the training and cur10 riculum described in section 3(9)(C)(i), and how 

11 the proposed pre-apprenticeship program makes 

12 individuals who successfully complete the pre13 apprenticeship program qualified to enter into 

14 an established registered apprenticeship pro15 gram; 

16 (B) evidence that there are or will be suffi17 cient openings available in the registered ap18 prenticeship program referenced in (A) to en19 able the registered apprenticeship program 

20 sponsor to place into a corresponding registered 

21 apprenticeship those individuals who success22 fully complete the pre-apprenticeship program; 

23 (C) information about the entity that dem24 onstrates the existence of an active, advisory 

25 partnership between the partners described in 


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1 paragraph (2)(C) and the capacity, of a train2 ing and education provider in the entity, to pro3 vide the training and education services nec4 essary for a pre-apprenticeship program; and 

5 (D) information about the proposed pre6 apprenticeship program that demonstrates— 

7 (i) that the program is in an in-de8 mand industry or occupation in the region 

9 in which the project is located; 

10 (ii) the use of integrated work-based 

11 and academic learning that may include 

12 training in the workplace; 

13 (iii) the inclusion of career exploration 

14 focused activities, such as job shadowing, 

15 career information activities, and resume 

16 preparation, in the program; 

17 (iv) if the entity carrying out the 

18 project includes a high school, that the 

19 model to be used for the program leads to 

20 a high school diploma for participants 

21 without such a diploma; 

22 (v) how the pre-apprenticeship pro23 gram is aligned with and leverages re24 sources of career and technical education 

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1 ized under the Workforce Innovation and 

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

3 or activities of entities that provide sup4 portive services for participants in pre-ap5 prenticeship programs; and 

6 (vi) that the project aligns with an es7 tablished registered apprenticeship pro8 gram, including that the model used for 

9 the program leads to the attainment of 

10 skills and competencies necessary for en11 trance into the registered apprenticeship 

12 program for participants. 

13 (4) USE OF FUNDS.— 

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

15 receives a grant under this subsection shall use 

16 the grant funds to carry out a project that im17 plements a pre-apprenticeship program. 

18 (B) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The eligible 

19 entity shall use the grant funds— 

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

21 education associated with the pre-appren22 ticeship program; 

23 (ii) for curriculum development that 

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1 priate registered apprenticeship programs 

2 and learning assessments; 

3 (iii) to maintain a connection between 

4 the pre-apprenticeship program and reg5 istered apprenticeship program; 

6 (iv) for assessments of potential par7 ticipants for, and enrollment of the partici8 pants in, the pre-apprenticeship program; 

9 and 

10 (v) to conduct evaluations described in 

11 paragraph (6)(B). 

12 (C) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—The eligible 

13 entity may use the grant funds for— 

14 (i) teacher training, including pro15 viding externship opportunities for teachers 

16 to learn about the skill needs of the indus17 try or occupation that the pre-apprentice18 ship program focuses on; 

19 (ii) stipends for participants during 

20 work-based training in the program; or 

21 (iii) coordination of activities under 

22 this subsection with activities carried out 

23 under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

24 Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 

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1 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

2 3101 et seq.). 

3 (5) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

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

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

6 75 percent. 

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

8 entity may contribute the non-Federal share of 

9 the cost in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, in10 cluding plant, equipment, or services. 

11 (6) PERFORMANCE.— 

12 (A) MEASURES.—The Secretary shall iden13 tify a set of common measures that, at a min14 imum, include measures of entry into a reg15 istered apprenticeship program and that are 

16 aligned with performance accountability meas17 ures described in section 116(c) of the Work18 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

19 U.S.C. 3141(c)) for the local workforce develop20 ment area (meaning a local area, as defined in 

21 section 3 of that Act) and with corresponding 

22 measures under the Carl D. Perkins Career and 

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

24 2301 et seq.), as appropriate. 


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1 (B) EVALUATIONS.—Each eligible entity 

2 that receives a grant to carry out a project 

3 under this subsection shall arrange for another 

4 qualified entity to conduct an evaluation, or 

5 shall participate in a Department of Labor 

6 sponsored evaluation, of the project using the 

7 identified common measures, and shall, to the 

8 extent practicable, cooperate with the evaluator 

9 in any evaluations of activities carried out 

10 under this section. 

11 (C) EXTENSIONS.—The Secretary shall 

12 use the results of an evaluation for a project to 

13 determine whether to extend the grant period, 

14 or renew a grant, for the project under para15 graph (2)(B). 

16 (c) PROMOTING AWARENESS OF REGISTERED AP17 PRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS.— 

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

19 registered apprenticeship programs, the Secretary, 

20 in cooperation with the Secretary of Education and 

21 the Secretary of Commerce, shall ensure that timely, 

22 current information about the value of registered ap23 prenticeship programs in the labor market is made 

24 available through a range of widely accessible for25 mats and venues. The information shall be made 


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1 available to businesses, trade associations, profes2 sional associations, students, parents, workers, edu3 cational institutions, workforce and economic devel4 opment organizations, and State and local elected of5 ficials. 

6 (2) INFORMATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL

7 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS.—To promote 

8 awareness about registered apprenticeship programs 

9 within the workforce development system, the Sec10 retary shall disseminate information on the value of 

11 registered apprenticeship programs, to State and 

12 local workforce development boards described in sub13 section (b)(2)(C)(iv), which information shall in14 clude— 

15 (A) a list of registered apprenticeship pro16 grams in the State involved; 

17 (B) guidance for training staff of the 

18 workforce development system within the State 

19 on the value of registered apprenticeship pro20 grams, including relevant placement, retention 

21 and earnings information, as a training option 

22 for participants; 

23 (C) guidance on how individual training 

24 accounts under section 134(c)(3) of the Work25 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 


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1 U.S.C. 3174(c)(3)) could be used by partici2 pants for a registered apprenticeship program; 

3 and 

4 (D) guidance on how performance account5 ability measures under section 116 of the 

6 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

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

8 apprenticeship programs, including relevant 

9 placement, retention and earnings information. 

10 (3) INFORMATION FOR EMPLOYERS, TRADE AS11 SOCIATIONS, PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS, INDUS12 TRY GROUPS AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.—To pro13 mote awareness about registered apprenticeship pro14 grams to workers and employers, the Secretary, in 

15 cooperation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall 

16 provide information about the value of registered ap17 prenticeship programs, including relevant placement, 

18 retention and earnings information, through the one19 stop delivery systems described in section 121 of the 

20 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

21 U.S.C. 3151), to employers, trade associations, pro22 fessional associations, industry groups, and labor or23 ganizations, which information shall include, at a 

24 minimum— 


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1 (A) a list of registered apprenticeship pro2 grams in the State; 

3 (B) information on how to develop a reg4 istered apprenticeship program; and 

5 (C) information on financial resources 

6 available to assist with the establishment and 

7 implementation of registered apprenticeship 

8 programs. 

9 (4) INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS AND

10 SCHOOLS.—To promote awareness about registered 

11 apprenticeship programs among students and school 

12 staff, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Sec13 retary of Education, shall disseminate information 

14 on the value of registered apprenticeship programs, 

15 including relevant placement, retention and earnings 

16 information, to high schools, area career and tech17 nical education schools (as defined in subsection 

18 (b)(2)(C)(i)), 2- and 4-year postsecondary edu19 cational institutions, and educational service agen20 cies, to enable, at a minimum— 

21 (A) parents to understand registered ap22 prenticeship programs and their value in post23 secondary education and career pathways; 


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1 (B) students to understand registered ap2 prenticeship programs and their value in career 

3 pathways; 

4 (C) career and academic counselors to un5 derstand registered apprenticeship programs as 

6 a valuable postsecondary education option for 

7 students leading to job placement in in-demand 

8 industries and occupations; and 

9 (D) school administrators, workforce and 

10 economic development coordinators, and teach11 ers and faculty to assist with the development, 

12 implementation, and continuation of registered 

13 apprenticeship programs. 

14 (d) SECRETARY’S NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

15 ON APPRENTICESHIPS.— 

16 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

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

18 the Department of Labor a National Advisory 

19 Committee on Apprenticeships, referred to in 

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

21 (B) COMPOSITION.—The Advisory Com22 mittee shall have— 

23 (i) 21 voting members appointed by 

24 the Secretary, composed of— 


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1 (I) 7 representatives of employers 

2 who participate in a registered ap3 prenticeship program, including em4 ployers who participate in a registered 

5 apprenticeship program sponsored by 

6 a joint labor-management partnership; 

7 (II) 7 representatives of labor or8 ganizations who have responsibility 

9 for the administration of a registered 

10 apprenticeship program sponsored by 

11 a joint labor-management partnership; 

12 (III) 7 representatives of State 

13 apprenticeship agencies, community 

14 organizations with significant experi15 ence with a registered apprenticeship 

16 program, and 2- or 4-year postsec17 ondary educational institutions with 

18 at least one articulation agreement 

19 with the entity administering a reg20 istered apprenticeship program; and 

21 (ii) members who are ex officio non22 voting representatives from the Depart23 ments of Labor, Commerce, Education, 

24 Energy, Housing and Urban Development, 

25 and Health and Human Services. 


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1 (C) QUALIFICATIONS.—The members shall 

2 be selected upon the basis of their experience 

3 and competence concerning apprenticeships. 

4 (D) TERMS.—The Secretary shall appoint 

5 the members for terms of 4 years. 

6 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary shall des7 ignate one of the members of the Advisory Com8 mittee to serve as Chairperson of the Advisory Com9 mittee. 

10 (3) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Committee shall 

11 hold not fewer than 2 meetings during each calendar 

12 year. All meetings of the Advisory Committee shall 

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

14 each meeting and made available for public inspec15 tion. 

16 (4) DUTIES.—The Advisory Committee shall 

17 advise, consult with, and make recommendations to 

18 the Secretary on matters relating to the administra19 tion of this title and the Act of August 16, 1937 

20 (commonly known as the ‘‘National Apprenticeship 

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

22 seq.). 

23 (5) PERSONNEL.— 

24 (A) PROCUREMENT.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of 

2 the Advisory Committee may procure the 

3 temporary and intermittent services of vot4 ing members of the Advisory Committee 

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

6 States Code, at rates for individuals that 

7 do not exceed the daily equivalent of the 

8 annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 

9 level V of the Executive Schedule under 

10 section 5316 of such title. 

11 (ii) OFFICERS OR EMPLOYEES OF THE

12 UNITED STATES.—All members of the Ad13 visory Committee who are officers or em14 ployees of the United States shall serve 

15 without compensation in addition to that 

16 received for their services as officers or 

17 employees of the United States. 

18 (B) STAFF.—The Secretary shall supply 

19 the Committee with an executive secretary and 

20 provide such secretarial, clerical, and other 

21 services as the Secretary determines to be nec22 essary to enable the Advisory Committee to 

23 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 publically available in a timely man20 ner. 

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

22 less than 10 percent of the funds appropriated under sub23 section (g) for each fiscal year for grants to States. A 

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

25 for the purpose of assisting the Administrator in carrying 


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

2 funds to support the voluntary establishment of a State 

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

4 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2017 and each subsequent 

7 year. 

8 SEC. 102. PROMOTING INTEGRATION WITH POSTSEC9 ONDARY EDUCATION. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) COLLABORATIVE.—The term ‘‘Collabo12 rative’’ means the Registered Apprenticeship-College 

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

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

15 means the Secretary of Labor, acting through the 

16 Administrator, working jointly with the Secretary of 

17 Education, acting through the Assistant Secretary 

18 for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Edu19 cation. 

20 (b) COLLABORATIVE WITH 2- AND 4-YEAR POSTSEC21 ONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

22 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretaries shall 

23 establish and maintain a voluntary Registered Ap24 prenticeship-College Collaborative. The Collaborative 

25 shall consist of the sponsors carrying out registered 


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1 apprenticeship programs, 2- or 4-year postsecondary 

2 educational institutions, and organizations that rep3 resent such programs or institutions, that agree to 

4 meet certain criteria in order to support the pur5 poses described in paragraph (2). 

6 (2) PURPOSES.—The Collaborative shall sup7 port the purposes of— 

8 (A) promoting stronger connections be9 tween the registered apprenticeship programs 

10 involved and participating 2- and 4-year post11 secondary educational institutions; 

12 (B) promoting the translation of experi13 ence in a registered apprenticeship program to 

14 academic credit at participating 2- and 4-year 

15 postsecondary educational institutions; 

16 (C) facilitating the enrollment of an indi17 vidual who has completed a registered appren18 ticeship program (referred to in this section as 

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

20 postsecondary educational institution for the 

21 purpose of attaining academic credit toward an 

22 associate’s or more advanced degree; 

23 (D) advancing the attainment of associ24 ate’s and more advanced degrees by appren25 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 2017 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 2017 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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