II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 396 

To promote registered apprenticeships, including registered apprenticeships 

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

intermediaries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 23, 2021 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. MORAN, and Mr. BROWN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

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 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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1 (1) Registered apprenticeship programs provide 

2 apprentices employment with structured on-the-job 

3 training, little to no student loan debt, competitive 

4 wages, industry-recognized credentials, direct access 

5 to jobs and careers, and in some cases, the potential 

6 to earn college credit toward an associate’s or bach7 elor’s degree. 

8 (2) According to the Department of Labor Ap9 prenticeship Toolkit, the average wage for a fully 

10 proficient worker who completes an apprenticeship is 

11 $50,000 annually. Apprentices who complete their 

12 program earn approximately $300,000 more during 

13 their career than non-apprenticeship workers. 

14 (3) There are still very few apprenticeship posi15 tions in sectors with high job growth. According to 

16 data from the Department of Labor, health care— 

17 the industry with the greatest job growth—had only 

18 1,852 apprentices in 2016. Information technology, 

19 another sector with rapidly expanding job opportuni20 ties in the United States, had fewer than 1,000 ap21 prentices in 2016. 

22 (4) A major barrier to expanding registered ap23 prenticeships in high-growth job sectors is employ24 ers’ lack of familiarity with the process to establish, 

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1 and the requirements of, registered apprenticeship 

2 programs. 

3 (5) Workforce intermediaries, which are organi4 zations at the national, regional, State, or local level 

5 that help ease the process for employers in devel6 oping and delivering new registered apprenticeship 

7 programs, can serve as a catalyzing force for cre8 ating and expanding registered apprenticeships in 

9 high-growth job sectors through technical assistance 

10 and capacity building for employers, labor organiza11 tions, educational institutions, and government enti12 ties. 

13 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act: 

15 (1) APPRENTICESHIP.—The term ‘‘apprentice16 ship’’ means an opportunity in a registered appren17 ticeship program. 

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

19 ‘‘in-demand industry sector’’ means a sector de20 scribed in subparagraphs (A)(i) and (B) of section 

21 3(23) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

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

23 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

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1 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

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

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

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

5 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

6 U.S.C. 3102). 

7 (5) NONTRADITIONAL APPRENTICESHIP OCCU8 PATION.—The term ‘‘nontraditional apprenticeship 

9 occupation’’ means an occupation that has not tradi10 tionally engaged in carrying out registered appren11 ticeship programs, but which the Secretary deter12 mines would benefit from having such a program 

13 (such as an occupation in a financial services, ad14 vanced manufacturing, information technology, 

15 health care, or hospitality industry sector). 

16 (6) REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.— 

17 The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship program’’ 

18 means a program registered under the Act of Au19 gust 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 

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

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

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

23 the Secretary of Labor. 

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

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

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1 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

2 U.S.C. 3102). 

3 (9) WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY.—The term 

4 ‘‘workforce intermediary’’ means an entity that, at 

5 the national, regional, State, or local level— 

6 (A)(i) facilitates the establishment of reg7 istered apprenticeship programs; or 

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

9 the capacity, and will work, to facilitate the es10 tablishment of registered apprenticeship pro11 grams; and 

12 (B) may be a partnership that includes 1 

13 or more of the following as partners: 

14 (i) A business or industry organiza15 tion. 

16 (ii) A community-based organization. 

17 (iii) A joint labor-management part18 nership. 

19 (iv) An institution of higher edu20 cation. 

21 (v) A State board or local board. 

22 (vi) A nonprofit organization. 

23 (vii) An industry or sector partnership 

24 as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 

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1 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 

2 U.S.C. 3102). 

3 (viii) An industry association. 

4 (ix) A joint labor-management organi5 zation. 

6 (x) A consortium of organizations that 

7 provide technical assistance to support and 

8 to increase the development of registered 

9 apprenticeship programs. 

10 (xi) Any other entity that the Sec11 retary considers to be appropriate. 

12 SEC. 4. WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARIES GRANT PROGRAM. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—From amounts made avail14 able to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall establish 

15 and carry out a workforce intermediaries grant program 

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

17 intermediaries, to enable the workforce intermediaries to 

18 engage a variety of stakeholders, such as local boards, sec19 ondary schools, institutions of higher education, and em20 ployers, to support, develop, and implement registered ap21 prenticeship programs in accordance with section 6. 

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

23 shall be for a period of not more than 4 years. 

24 (c) AMOUNT.—A grant awarded under this Act shall 

25 be in an amount of not more than $6,000,000, and such 

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1 amount shall be determined based on the relative number 

2 of apprentices a workforce intermediary plans to facilitate. 

3 (d) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—In awarding grants 

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

5 geographic diversity in the areas in which activities will 

6 be carried out under the grants. 

7 (e) MATCHING FUNDS.—A workforce intermediary 

8 receiving a grant under this Act shall provide matching 

9 funds, from non-Federal sources, for the activities sup10 ported under the grant. The matching funds shall be in 

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

12 of grant funds provided under the grant. 

13 SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS. 

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

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

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

17 such information as the Secretary may require. 

18 (b) CONTENTS.—The application described in sub19 section (a) shall include— 

20 (1) information regarding— 

21 (A) in the case of a workforce intermediary 

22 described in section 3(9)(A)(i), the extent to 

23 which the workforce intermediary is working, as 

24 of the date of the application, with stakeholders 

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1 to provide activities such as the activities de2 scribed in section 6; or 

3 (B) in the case of a workforce intermediary 

4 described in section 3(9)(A)(ii), the capacity of 

5 the workforce intermediary to begin providing 

6 activities described in section 6 upon receipt of 

7 the grant, including information demonstrating 

8 that the workforce intermediary would be suc9 cessful in carrying out such activities; 

10 (2) information regarding the extent to which 

11 the grant will help the workforce intermediary— 

12 (A) expand apprenticeships for in-demand 

13 industry sectors that lack apprenticeships at the 

14 time of the application; or 

15 (B) target populations that are underrep16 resented— 

17 (i) in apprenticeships generally; or 

18 (ii) in the fields in which the appren19 tices will be trained; 

20 (3) assurances that— 

21 (A) the workforce intermediary will cooper22 ate in the evaluation of the project conducted 

23 under section 7; and 

24 (B) the workforce intermediary will meet 

25 the matching requirement under section 4(e); 

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1 (4) information about the workforce 

2 intermediary’s— 

3 (A) experience in providing activities de4 scribed in section 6 and capacity, or ability to 

5 develop or expand capacity, to provide such ac6 tivities; 

7 (B) experience working in a collaborative 

8 environment with government and nongovern9 mental entities; 

10 (C) ability to raise or provide funding to 

11 cover operating costs for the long-term sustain12 ability of the activities supported under the 

13 grant; and 

14 (D) capacity and infrastructure to track 

15 outcomes and measure results, including capac16 ity to track and analyze program performance 

17 and assess program impact; and 

18 (5) information describing how the workforce 

19 intermediary will promote the diversity described in 

20 section 6(b)(1)(F). 

21 SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—A workforce intermediary that re23 ceives a grant under this Act shall use the grant funds 

24 to carry out activities, which may include activities de25 scribed in subsection (b) or other strategies as may be necVerDate Sep 11 2014 17:23 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S396.IS S396
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1 essary, that support the development and successful imple2 mentation of registered apprenticeship programs. 

3 (b) SUGGESTED USES.—A workforce intermediary 

4 may carry out subsection (a) through 1 or more of the 

5 following activities, as determined appropriate by the Sec6 retary: 

7 (1) OUTREACH AND MARKETING.—A workforce 

8 intermediary may provide services to engage employ9 ers in registered apprenticeship programs, which 

10 may include— 

11 (A) marketing apprenticeships regionally, 

12 to employers and to potential apprentices; 

13 (B) marketing apprenticeships to sec14 ondary school students, counselors, school ad15 ministrators, or parents; 

16 (C) recruiting and evaluating candidates 

17 for apprenticeships; 

18 (D) conducting outreach to employers to 

19 persuade the employers to adopt the apprentice20 ship model; 

21 (E) matching employers with apprentices; 

22 and 

23 (F) promoting diversity among apprentices 

24 by promoting outreach to underrepresented 

25 populations (such as women and minorities), 

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1 youth, individuals with disabilities (as defined 

2 in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities 

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

4 (2) EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT.—The workforce 

5 intermediary may provide services to engage employ6 ers in, and develop curricula for, registered appren7 ticeship programs, which may include assisting a 

8 small or medium-sized employer with— 

9 (A) designing a curriculum for a registered 

10 apprenticeship program that blends occupation11 specific skills and general industry skills; 

12 (B) designing a comprehensive training 

13 plan for apprentices; 

14 (C) navigating the registration process for 

15 the registered apprenticeship program; 

16 (D) identifying skills, both technical and 

17 behavioral, needed to perform the occupation in 

18 question; 

19 (E) providing training to managers and 

20 front-line employees to serve as trainers or 

21 mentors to apprentices in the registered appren22 ticeship program; 

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

24 provided to apprentices; 

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1 (G) coordinating activities between training 

2 instructors and worksite supervisors of appren3 tices; 

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

5 training related to the apprenticeship; 

6 (I) convening employers to define skills for 

7 the registered apprenticeship program; and 

8 (J) developing occupational standards that 

9 are nationally recognized and portable to help 

10 guide employers and sponsors in establishing 

11 new registered apprenticeship programs. 

12 (3) SUPPORT SERVICES FOR APPRENTICES.— 

13 The workforce intermediary may provide support 

14 services for apprentices to assure their success in, 

15 and after, registered apprenticeship programs, which 

16 may include— 

17 (A) providing guidance to, mentorship to, 

18 and oversight of apprentices during the pro19 gram, to ensure retention and completion; 

20 (B) providing services to address chal21 lenges that surface for apprentices during the 

22 apprenticeship; 

23 (C) providing professional development 

24 training needed for apprentices to succeed in a 

25 full-time job after the apprenticeship; 

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1 (D) providing post-apprenticeship job 

2 counseling and job placement services; 

3 (E) coordinating pre-apprenticeship train4 ing or off-the-job training related to the occupa5 tion involved in the apprenticeship; and 

6 (F) arranging for an institution of higher 

7 education to provide training courses. 

8 (4) LOCAL AND NATIONAL SUPPORT FOR REG9 ISTERED APPRENTICESHIPS.—The workforce inter10 mediary may support registered apprenticeship pro11 grams locally and nationally, which may include— 

12 (A) developing national guidelines and 

13 standards for registered apprenticeships in non14 traditional apprenticeship occupations; 

15 (B) connecting multi-region efforts for reg16 istered apprenticeship programs; 

17 (C) documenting best practices in oper18 ating a workforce intermediary; and 

19 (D) providing the ongoing infrastructure to 

20 support apprenticeships in an industry. 

21 (c) EMPHASIS ON IN-DEMAND REGISTERED APPREN22 TICESHIP PROGRAMS.—In carrying out activities under a 

23 grant under this Act, the workforce intermediary receiving 

24 the grant shall place an emphasis on supporting registered 

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1 apprenticeship programs that lead to skilled jobs and 

2 wages in in-demand industry sectors. 

3 SEC. 7. PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATION. 

4 (a) PERFORMANCE PROGRESS REPORTS TO THE

5 SECRETARY.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require 

7 each workforce intermediary receiving a grant under 

8 this Act to submit performance progress reports at 

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

11 (2) ELEMENTS.—Each report described in 

12 paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum— 

13 (A) the goals, plans, and accomplishments 

14 of the workforce intermediary; 

15 (B) how grant funds have been used; and 

16 (C) how the workforce intermediary has 

17 furthered the purposes described in section 

18 4(a). 

19 (b) EVALUATIONS.— 

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

21 an evaluation of each workforce intermediary that 

22 receives a grant under this Act 6 years after the 

23 date on which funds for the grant are first dis24 bursed. 

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1 (2) CONTENTS OF EVALUATION.—The evalua2 tion described in paragraph (1) shall include a crit3 ical analysis of the workforce intermediary— 

4 (A) by addressing topics such as— 

5 (i) the goals of the workforce inter6 mediary; 

7 (ii) the core competency training of8 fered by the workforce intermediary, with9 out regard as to whether such training was 

10 supported by grant funds; 

11 (iii) the structure of the wage progres12 sion or career ladder for each registered 

13 apprenticeship program established or sup14 ported by the workforce intermediary; 

15 (iv) the major recruitment sources of 

16 apprentices for the workforce intermediary; 

17 (v) information on how apprentices 

18 are selected by the workforce intermediary; 

19 (vi) the recruitment challenges that 

20 the workforce intermediary faces; 

21 (vii) the demographic and educational 

22 characteristics of apprentices supported by 

23 the workforce intermediary; 

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1 (viii) the structure of the workforce 

2 intermediary, including the number of staff 

3 employed by the workforce intermediary; 

4 (ix) the factors that contribute to a 

5 workforce intermediary’s sustainability and 

6 replicability; and 

7 (x) the number of apprenticeships fa8 cilitated by the workforce intermediary and 

9 the occupations involved in the apprentice10 ships; and 

11 (B) that evaluates the workforce inter12 mediary using information on— 

13 (i) the levels of performance achieved 

14 by the workforce intermediary with respect 

15 to the performance indicators under sec16 tion 116(b)(2)(A) of the Workforce Inno17 vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

18 3141(b)(2)(A)), for all apprentices who 

19 complete a registered apprenticeship pro20 gram supported by the workforce inter21 mediary; 

22 (ii) the completion rates for appren23 tices in each registered apprenticeship pro24 gram supported by the workforce inter25 mediary; 

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1 (iii) job retention of apprentices, 

2 based on 1 year after completing the reg3 istered apprenticeship program supported 

4 by the workforce intermediary; 

5 (iv) the income level of jobs obtained 

6 by apprentices after completing the ap7 prenticeship program; and 

8 (v) the occupations in in-demand in9 dustry sectors, and nontraditional appren10 ticeship occupations, that the workforce 

11 intermediary has successfully served 

12 through the grant by creating registered 

13 apprenticeship programs in those occupa14 tions. 

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

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

17 to the fullest extent practicable, limit the evaluation 

18 to the efforts of the workforce intermediary sup19 ported under this Act, but shall also consider all of 

20 the efforts of the workforce intermediary to support 

21 registered apprenticeship programs. 

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

23 the evaluation is completed, the Secretary shall pre24 pare and submit to the workforce intermediary, and 

25 make publicly available, a report that will contain— 

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1 (A) the results of the evaluation, including 

2 the topics and information described in para3 graph (2); and 

4 (B) recommendations on how to further 

5 improve the outcomes of the workforce inter6 mediary. 

7 (c) RENEWAL.—The Secretary shall use the perform8 ance progress reports and the results of an evaluation 

9 under this section for a project to determine whether to 

10 renew a grant for the workforce intermediary for that 

11 project. 

12 SEC. 8. WORKSHOPS; BEST PRACTICES. 

13 The Secretary shall use not more than 5 percent of 

14 the funds made available under this Act to— 

15 (1) plan and conduct workshops throughout the 

16 United States to instruct interested organizations on 

17 how to create workforce intermediaries on a na18 tional, State, or local level, and navigate the grant 

19 process described in this Act; and 

20 (2) disseminate best practices on effective devel21 opment and implementation of registered apprentice22 ship programs through workforce intermediaries. 

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1 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

3 this Act $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

4 2026. 

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