I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6099 

To promote registered apprenticeships, including registered apprenticeships 

within in-demand industry sectors, through the support of workforce 

intermediaries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 13, 2018 

Mr. NORCROSS (for himself and Mr. MCKINLEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To promote registered apprenticeships, including registered 

apprenticeships within in-demand industry sectors, 

through the support of workforce intermediaries, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Apprenticeship Hubs 

5 Across America Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Registered apprenticeship programs provide 

2 apprentices without college degrees a pathway to re3 ceiving structured on-the-job training, wages, indus4 try-recognized credentials, and direct access to jobs 

5 and careers. 

6 (2) According to the Urban Institute, in con7 trast to higher education, in which just over half of 

8 students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 6 

9 years, most apprenticeship programs have comple10 tion rates of 80 percent or better. 

11 (3) There are still very few apprenticeship posi12 tions in sectors with high job growth. According to 

13 data from the Department of Labor, health care— 

14 the industry with the greatest job growth—had only 

15 1,852 apprentices in 2016. Information technology, 

16 another sector with rapidly expanding job opportuni17 ties in the United States, had fewer than 1,000 ap18 prentices in 2016. 

19 (4) A major barrier to expanding registered ap20 prenticeships in high-growth job sectors is employ21 ers’ lack of familiarity with the process to establish, 

22 and the requirements of, registered apprenticeship 

23 programs. 

24 (5) Workforce intermediaries, which are organi25 zations that help employers in developing and delivVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 Jun 19, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6099.IH H6099

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1 ering new registered apprenticeship programs, can 

2 serve as a catalyzing force for expanding registered 

3 apprenticeships in high-growth job sectors. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) APPRENTICESHIP.—The term ‘‘apprentice7 ship’’ means an opportunity in a registered appren8 ticeship program. 

9 (2) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR.—The term 

10 ‘‘in-demand industry sector’’ means a sector de11 scribed in subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B) of section 

12 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

13 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(23)). 

14 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

16 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

17 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

18 (4) LOCAL BOARD.—The term ‘‘local board’’ 

19 has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the 

20 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

21 U.S.C. 3102). 

22 (5) NONTRADITIONAL APPRENTICESHIP OCCU23 PATION.—The term ‘‘nontraditional apprenticeship 

24 occupation’’ means an occupation that has not tradi25 tionally engaged in carrying out registered apprenVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 Jun 19, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6099.IH H6099

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1 ticeship programs, but which the Secretary deter2 mines would benefit from having such a program 

3 (such as an occupation in a financial services, infor4 mation technology, health care, or hospitality indus5 try sector). 

6 (6) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 

7 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ 

8 means a program registered under the Act of Au9 gust 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 

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

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

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

13 the Secretary of Labor. 

14 (8) STATE BOARD.—The term ‘‘State board’’ 

15 has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the 

16 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

17 U.S.C. 3102). 

18 (9) WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY.—The term 

19 ‘‘workforce intermediary’’ means an entity that— 

20 (A)(i) facilitates the establishment of reg21 istered apprenticeship programs; or 

22 (ii) if awarded a grant under this Act, has 

23 the capacity, and will work, to facilitate the es24 tablishment of registered apprenticeship pro25 grams; and 


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1 (B) may be a partnership that includes one 

2 or more of the following as partners: 

3 (i) A business or industry organiza4 tion. 

5 (ii) A community-based organization. 

6 (iii) A joint labor-management part7 nership. 

8 (iv) An institution of higher edu9 cation. 

10 (v) A State board or local board. 

11 (vi) A nonprofit organization. 

12 (vii) An industry or sector partnership 

13 as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 

14 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

15 U.S.C. 3102). 

16 (viii) An industry association. 

17 (ix) A joint labor-management organi18 zation. 

19 (x) A consortium of organizations that 

20 provide technical assistance to support and 

21 to increase the development of registered 

22 apprenticeship programs. 

23 (xi) Any other entity that the Sec24 retary considers to be appropriate. 


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1 SEC. 4. WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARIES GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—From amounts made avail3 able to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall establish 

4 and carry out a workforce intermediaries grant program 

5 by awarding grants, on a competitive basis, to workforce 

6 intermediaries, to enable the workforce intermediaries to 

7 engage a variety of stakeholders, such as local boards, sec8 ondary schools, institutions of higher education, and em9 ployers, to support, develop, and implement registered ap10 prenticeship programs in accordance with section 6. 

11 (b) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this Act 

12 shall be for not more than 2 years, and in an amount of 

13 not more than $4,000,000. 

14 (c) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—In awarding grants 

15 under this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that there is 

16 geographic diversity in the areas in which activities will 

17 be carried out under the grants. 

18 (d) MATCHING FUNDS.—A workforce intermediary 

19 receiving a grant under this Act shall provide matching 

20 funds, from non-Federal sources, for the activities sup21 ported under the grant. The matching funds shall be in 

22 an amount that is not less than 20 percent of the amount 

23 of grant funds provided under the grant. 

24 SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS. 

25 (a) IN GENERAL.—A workforce intermediary desiring 

26 a grant under this Act shall submit an application to the 


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1 Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing 

2 such information as the Secretary may require. 

3 (b) CONTENTS.—The application described in sub4 section (a)— 

5 (1) shall include— 

6 (A) information regarding— 

7 (i) in the case of a workforce inter8 mediary described in section 3(9)(A)(i), the 

9 extent to which the workforce intermediary 

10 is working, as of the date of the applica11 tion, with stakeholders to provide activities 

12 such as the activities described in section 

13 6; or 

14 (ii) in the case of a workforce inter15 mediary described in section 3(9)(A)(ii), 

16 the capacity of the workforce intermediary 

17 to begin providing activities described in 

18 section 6 upon receipt of the grant, includ19 ing information demonstrating that the 

20 workforce intermediary would be successful 

21 in carrying out such activities; and 

22 (B) assurances that— 

23 (i) the workforce intermediary will co24 operate in the evaluation of the project 

25 conducted under section 7; and 


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1 (ii) the workforce intermediary will 

2 meet the matching requirement under sec3 tion 4(d); and 

4 (2) may include— 

5 (A) information about the workforce 

6 intermediary’s— 

7 (i) experience in providing activities 

8 described in section 6 and capacity, or abil9 ity to develop or expand capacity, to pro10 vide such activities; 

11 (ii) experience working in a collabo12 rative environment with government and 

13 nongovernmental entities; 

14 (iii) ability to raise or provide funding 

15 to cover operating costs for the long-term 

16 sustainability of the activities supported 

17 under the grant; and 

18 (iv) capacity and infrastructure to 

19 track outcomes and measure results, in20 cluding capacity to track and analyze pro21 gram performance and assess program im22 pact; and 

23 (B) information describing how the work24 force intermediary will promote the diversity de25 scribed in section 6(b)(1)(F). 


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1 SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—A workforce intermediary that re3 ceives a grant under this Act shall use the grant funds 

4 to carry out activities, which may include activities de5 scribed in subsection (b) or other strategies as may be nec6 essary, that support the development and successful imple7 mentation of registered apprenticeship programs. 

8 (b) SUGGESTED USES.—A workforce intermediary 

9 may carry out subsection (a) through one or more of the 

10 following activities, as determined appropriate by the Sec11 retary: 

12 (1) OUTREACH AND MARKETING.—A workforce 

13 intermediary may provide services to engage employ14 ers in registered apprenticeship programs, which 

15 may include— 

16 (A) marketing apprenticeships regionally, 

17 to employers and to potential apprentices; 

18 (B) marketing apprenticeships to sec19 ondary school students, counselors, school ad20 ministrators, or parents; 

21 (C) recruiting and evaluating candidates 

22 for apprenticeships; 

23 (D) conducting outreach to employers to 

24 persuade the employers to adopt the apprentice25 ship model; 


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1 (E) matching employers with apprentices; 

2 and 

3 (F) promoting diversity among apprentices 

4 by promoting outreach to underrepresented 

5 populations (such as women and minorities), 

6 youth, individuals with disabilities (as defined 

7 in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities 

8 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)), and veterans. 

9 (2) EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT.—The workforce 

10 intermediary may provide services to engage employ11 ers in, and develop curricula for, registered appren12 ticeship programs, which may include assisting a 

13 small- or medium-sized employer with— 

14 (A) designing a curriculum for a registered 

15 apprenticeship program that blends occupation16 specific skills and general industry skills; 

17 (B) designing a comprehensive training 

18 plan for apprentices; 

19 (C) navigating the registration process for 

20 the registered apprenticeship program; 

21 (D) identifying skills, both technical and 

22 behavioral, needed to perform the occupation in 

23 question; 

24 (E) providing training to managers and 

25 front-line employees to serve as trainers or 


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1 mentors to apprentices in the registered appren2 ticeship program; 

3 (F) paying for the cost of off-site training 

4 provided to apprentices; 

5 (G) coordinating activities between training 

6 instructors and worksite supervisors of appren7 tices; 

8 (H) conducting or arranging for off-the-job 

9 training related to the apprenticeship; 

10 (I) convening employers to define skills for 

11 the registered apprenticeship program; and 

12 (J) developing occupational standards to 

13 help guide employers in establishing new reg14 istered apprenticeship programs. 

15 (3) SUPPORT SERVICES FOR APPRENTICES.— 

16 The workforce intermediary may provide support 

17 services for apprentices to assure their success in, 

18 and after, registered apprenticeship programs, which 

19 may include— 

20 (A) providing guidance to, mentorship to, 

21 and oversight of apprentices during the pro22 gram, to ensure retention and completion; 

23 (B) providing services to address chal24 lenges that surface for apprentices during the 

25 apprenticeship; 


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1 (C) providing professional development 

2 training needed for apprentices to succeed in a 

3 full-time job after the apprenticeship; 

4 (D) providing post-apprenticeship job 

5 counseling and job placement services; 

6 (E) coordinating pre-apprenticeship train7 ing or off-the-job training related to the occupa8 tion involved in the apprenticeship; and 

9 (F) arranging for an institution of higher 

10 education to provide training courses. 

11 (4) LOCAL AND NATIONAL SUPPORT FOR REG12 ISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS.—The workforce inter13 mediary may support registered apprenticeship pro14 grams locally and nationally, which may include— 

15 (A) developing national guidelines and 

16 standards for registered apprenticeships in non17 traditional apprenticeship occupations; 

18 (B) connecting multi-region efforts for reg19 istered apprenticeship programs; 

20 (C) documenting best practices in oper21 ating a workforce intermediary; and 

22 (D) providing the ongoing infrastructure to 

23 support apprenticeships in an industry. 

24 (c) EMPHASIS ON IN-DEMAND REGISTERED APPREN25 TICESHIP PROGRAMS.—In carrying out activities under a 


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1 grant under this Act, the workforce intermediary receiving 

2 the grant shall place an emphasis on supporting registered 

3 apprenticeship programs that lead to skilled jobs and 

4 wages in in-demand industry sectors. 

5 SEC. 7. PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION. 

6 (a) EVALUATIONS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 

8 an evaluation of each workforce intermediary that 

9 receives a grant under this Act 4 years after the 

10 date on which funds for the grant are first dis11 bursed. 

12 (2) CONTENTS OF EVALUATION.—The evalua13 tion described in paragraph (1) shall include a crit14 ical analysis of the workforce intermediary— 

15 (A) by addressing topics such as— 

16 (i) the goals of the workforce inter17 mediary; 

18 (ii) the core competency training of19 fered by the workforce intermediary, with20 out regard as to whether such training was 

21 supported by grant funds; 

22 (iii) the structure of the wage progres23 sion or career ladder for each registered 

24 apprenticeship program established or sup25 ported by the workforce intermediary; 


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1 (iv) the major recruitment sources of 

2 apprentices for the workforce intermediary; 

3 (v) information on how apprentices 

4 are selected by the workforce intermediary; 

5 (vi) the recruitment challenges that 

6 the workforce intermediary faces; 

7 (vii) the demographic and educational 

8 characteristics of apprentices supported by 

9 the workforce intermediary; 

10 (viii) the structure of the workforce 

11 intermediary, including the number of staff 

12 employed by the workforce intermediary; 

13 (ix) the factors that contribute to a 

14 workforce intermediary’s sustainability and 

15 replicability; and 

16 (x) the number of apprenticeships fa17 cilitated by the workforce intermediary and 

18 the occupations involved in the apprentice19 ships; and 

20 (B) that evaluates the workforce inter21 mediary using information on— 

22 (i) the levels of performance achieved 

23 by the workforce intermediary with respect 

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

2 3141(b)(2)(A)), for all apprentices who 

3 complete a registered apprenticeship pro4 gram supported by the workforce inter5 mediary; 

6 (ii) the completion rates for appren7 tices in each registered apprenticeship pro8 gram supported by the workforce inter9 mediary; 

10 (iii) job retention of apprentices, 

11 based on 1 year after completing the reg12 istered apprenticeship program supported 

13 by the workforce intermediary; 

14 (iv) the income level of jobs obtained 

15 by apprentices after completing the ap16 prenticeship program; and 

17 (v) the occupations in in-demand in18 dustry sectors, and nontraditional appren19 ticeship occupations, that the workforce 

20 intermediary has successfully served 

21 through the grant by creating registered 

22 apprenticeship programs in those occupa23 tions. 

24 (3) SCOPE OF EVALUATION.—In conducting the 

25 evaluation under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, 


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1 to the fullest extent practicable, limit the evaluation 

2 to the efforts of the workforce intermediary sup3 ported under this Act, but shall also consider all of 

4 the efforts of the workforce intermediary to support 

5 registered apprenticeship programs. 

6 (4) REPORT.—By not later than 90 days after 

7 the evaluation is completed, the Secretary shall pre8 pare and submit to the workforce intermediary, and 

9 make publicly available, a report that will contain— 

10 (A) the results of the evaluation, including 

11 the topics and information described in para12 graph (2); and 

13 (B) recommendations on how to further 

14 improve the outcomes of the workforce inter15 mediary. 

16 (b) RENEWAL.—The Secretary shall use the results 

17 of an evaluation under this section for a project to deter18 mine whether to renew a grant for the workforce inter19 mediary for that project. 

20 SEC. 8. WORKSHOPS; BEST PRACTICES. 

21 The Secretary shall use not more than 5 percent of 

22 the funds made available under this Act to— 

23 (1) plan and conduct workshops throughout the 

24 United States to instruct interested organizations on 

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1 tional, State, or local level, and navigate the grant 

2 process described in this Act; and 

3 (2) disseminate best practices on effective devel4 opment and implementation of registered apprentice5 ship programs through workforce intermediaries. 

6 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

8 this Act $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 

9 2024. 

Æ 


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