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‘‘(1) PILOT PROJECTS.—In accordance with sub-
section (b) and from funds appropriated pursuant to
paragraph (10), the Secretary shall establish and
carry out not more than 10 pilot projects to establish
a system of industry-validated national certifications
of skills, including—
‘‘(A) not more than 8 national certifications
of skills in high-technology and high-growth in-
dustries, including biotechnology, telecommuni-
cations, highly automated manufacturing (in-
cluding semiconductors), nanotechnology, energy
technology, and nursing; and
‘‘(B) not more than 2 cross-disciplinary na-
tional certifications of skills in homeland secu-
rity technology.
‘‘(2) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In car-
rying out the pilot projects, the Secretary shall make
grants to eligible entities, for periods of not less than
36 months and not more than 48 months, to carry out
the authorized activities described in paragraph (7)
with respect to the certifications described in para-
graph (1). In awarding grants under this subsection
the Secretary shall take into consideration awarding
grants to eligible entities from diverse geographic
areas, including rural areas.
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‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In
this subsection the term ‘eligible entity’ means
an entity that shall work in conjunction with a
local board and shall include as a principal par-
ticipant 1 or more of the following:
‘‘(i) An educational institution, in-
cluding a 2- or 4-year college, or a technical
or vocational school.
‘‘(ii) An advanced technology edu-
cation center.
‘‘(iii) A local board.
‘‘(iv) A representative of a business in
a target industry for the certification in-
volved.
‘‘(v) A representative of an industry
association, labor organization, or commu-
nity development organization.
‘‘(B) HISTORY
OF
DEMONSTRATED
CAPA-
BILITY REQUIRED.—To be eligible to receive a
grant under this subsection, an eligible entity
shall have a history of demonstrated capability
for effective collaboration with industry on work-
force investment activities that is consistent with
the objectives of this title.
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‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a
grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall
submit an application to the Secretary at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may require.
‘‘(5) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish
criteria, consistent with paragraph (6), for awarding
grants under this subsection.
‘‘(6) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to
receive grants under this subsection, the Secretary
shall give priority to eligible entities that demonstrate
the availability of and ability to provide matching
funds from industry or nonprofit sources. Such
matching funds may be provided in cash or in kind.
‘‘(7) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that
receives a grant under this subsection shall use
the funds made available through the grant—
‘‘(i) to facilitate the establishment of
certification requirements for a certification
described in paragraph (1) for an industry;
‘‘(ii) to develop and initiate a certifi-
cation program that includes preparatory
courses, course materials, procedures, and
examinations, for the certification; and
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‘‘(iii) to collect and analyze data re-
lated to the program at the program’s com-
pletion, and to identify best practices (con-
sistent with paragraph (8)) that may be
used by State and local workforce invest-
ment boards in the future.
‘‘(B) BASIS FOR REQUIREMENTS.—The cer-
tification requirements established under the
grant shall be based on applicable skill standards
for the industry involved that have been devel-
oped by or linked to national centers of excellence
under the National Science Foundation’s Ad-
vanced Technological Education Program. The
requirements shall require an individual to dem-
onstrate an identifiable set of competencies rel-
evant to the industry in order to receive certifi-
cation. The requirements shall be designed to
provide evidence of a transferable skill set that
allows flexibility and mobility of workers within
a high technology industry.
‘‘(C) RELATIONSHIP TO TRAINING AND EDU-
CATION PROGRAMS.—The eligible entity shall en-
sure that—
‘‘(i) a training and education program
related to competencies for the industry in-
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volved, that is flexible in mode and time-
frame for delivery and that meets the needs
of those seeking the certification, is offered;
and
‘‘(ii) the certification program is of-
fered at the completion of the training and
education program.
‘‘(D) RELATIONSHIP
TO
THE
ASSOCIATE
DEGREE.—The eligible entity shall ensure that
the certification program is consistent with the
requirements for a 2-year associate degree.
‘‘(E) AVAILABILITY.—The eligible entity
shall ensure that the certification program is
open to students pursuing associate degrees, em-
ployed workers, and displaced workers.
‘‘(8) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con-
sult with the Director of the National Science Foun-
dation to ensure that the pilot projects build on the
expertise and information about best practices gained
through the implementation of the National Science
Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Pro-
gram.
‘‘(9) CORE
COMPONENTS; 
GUIDELINES; 
RE-
PORTS.—After collecting and analyzing the data ob-
tained from the pilot programs, the Secretary shall—
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‘‘(A) establish the core components of a
model high-technology certification program;
‘‘(B) establish guidelines to assure develop-
ment of a uniform set of standards and policies
for such programs;
‘‘(C) prepare and submit a report on the
pilot projects to the Committee on Health, Edu-
cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and
the Committee on Education and the Workforce
of the House of Representatives; and
‘‘(D) make available to the public both the
data and the report.
‘‘(10) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In
addition to amounts authorized to be appropriated
under section 174(b), there is authorized to be appro-
priated $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 to carry out
this subsection.’’.
(e) INTEGRATED WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS
FOR ADULTS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY.—Sec-
tion 171 (29 U.S.C. 2916), as amended by subsection (d),
is further amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(f) INTEGRATED WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS
FOR ADULTS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY.—
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection:
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‘‘(A) INTEGRATED WORKFORCE TRAINING.—
The term ‘integrated workforce training’ means
training that integrates occupational skills
training with language acquisition.
‘‘(B) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’
means the Secretary of Labor in consultation
with the Secretary of Education.
‘‘(2) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.—In accordance
with subsection (b) and from funds appropriated pur-
suant to paragraph (11), the Secretary shall establish
and implement a national demonstration project de-
signed to both analyze and provide data on workforce
training programs that integrate English language
acquisition and occupational training.
‘‘(3) GRANTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out the
demonstration project, the Secretary shall make
not less than 10 grants, on a competitive basis,
to eligible entities to provide the integrated work-
force training programs. In awarding grants
under this subsection the Secretary shall take
into consideration awarding grants to eligible
entities from diverse geographic areas, including
rural areas.
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‘‘(B) PERIODS.—The Secretary shall make
the grants for periods of not less than 24 months
and not more than 48 months.
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive
a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity
shall work in conjunction with a local board and
shall include as a principal participant 1 or
more of the following:
‘‘(i) An employer or employer associa-
tion.
‘‘(ii) A nonprofit provider of English
language instruction.
‘‘(iii) A provider of occupational or
skills training.
‘‘(iv) A community-based organization.
‘‘(v) An educational institution, in-
cluding a 2- or 4-year college, or a technical
or vocational school.
‘‘(vi) A labor organization.
‘‘(vii) A local board.
‘‘(B) EXPERTISE.—To be eligible to receive
a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity
shall have proven expertise in—
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‘‘(i) serving individuals with limited
English proficiency, including individuals
with lower levels of oral and written
English; and
‘‘(ii) providing workforce programs
with training and English language in-
struction.
‘‘(5) APPLICATIONS.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive
a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity
shall submit an application to the Secretary at
such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—Each application sub-
mitted under subparagraph (A) shall—
‘‘(i) contain information, including ca-
pability statements, that demonstrates that
the eligible entity has the expertise described
in paragraph (4)(B); and
‘‘(ii) include an assurance that the
program to be assisted shall—
‘‘(I) establish a generalized adult
bilingual workforce training and edu-
cation model that integrates English
language acquisition and occupational
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training, and incorporates the unique
linguistic and cultural factors of the
participants;
‘‘(II) establish a framework by
which the employer, employee, and
other relevant members of the eligible
entity can create a career development
and training plan that assists both the
employer and the employee to meet
their long-term needs;
‘‘(III) ensure that the framework
established under subclause (II) takes
into consideration the knowledge, skills,
and abilities of the employee with re-
spect to both the current and economic
conditions of the employer and future
labor market conditions relevant to the
local area; and
‘‘(IV) establish identifiable meas-
ures so that the progress of the em-
ployee and employer and the relative
efficacy of the program can be evalu-
ated and best practices identified.
‘‘(6) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall establish
criteria for awarding grants under this subsection.
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‘‘(7) INTEGRATED
WORKFORCE
TRAINING
PRO-
GRAMS.—
‘‘(A) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—
‘‘(i) REQUIRED
COMPONENTS.—Each
program that receives funding under this
subsection shall—
‘‘(I) test an individual’s English
language proficiency levels to assess
oral and literacy gains from the begin-
ning and throughout program enroll-
ment;
‘‘(II) combine training specific to
a particular occupation or occupa-
tional cluster, with—
‘‘(aa) English language in-
struction, 
such 
as 
instruction
through an English as a Second
Language program, or an English
for Speakers of Other Languages
program;
‘‘(bb) basic skills instruction;
and
‘‘(cc) supportive services;
‘‘(III) effectively integrate public
and private sector entities, including
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the local workforce investment system
and its functions, to achieve the goals
of the program; and
‘‘(IV) require matching or in-kind
resources from private and nonprofit
entities.
‘‘(ii) PERMISSIBLE COMPONENTS.—The
program may offer other services, as nec-
essary to promote successful participation
and 
completion, 
including 
work-based
learning, substance abuse treatment, and
mental health services.
‘‘(B) GOAL.—Each program that receives
funding under this subsection shall be designed
to prepare limited English proficient adults for,
and place such adults in employment in, grow-
ing industries with identifiable career ladder
paths.
‘‘(C) PROGRAM
TYPES.—In selecting pro-
grams to receive funding under this subsection,
the Secretary shall select programs that meet 1
or more of the following criteria:
‘‘(i) A program—
‘‘(I) that serves unemployed, lim-
ited English proficient individuals