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. VIS-
CLOSKY, 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Leveraging Effective Apprenticeships to Rebuild Na-
tional Skills Act’’ or the ‘‘LEARNS Act’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
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. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) A highly skilled workforce is necessary to 
compete in the global economy, support economic 
growth, and maintain the standard of living of the 
United States. 
(2) The apprenticeship model is a longstanding, 
on-the-job training and education model that pre-
pares workers for the skill demands of particular oc-
cupations and employers while, at the same time, 
providing the workers with recognized, portable cre-
dentials, and wages while in training. 
(3) The registered apprenticeship program 
model has been successful in skilled trade industries, 
including construction and manufacturing, as well as 
service industries, such as health care, and holds 
great potential for expansion into other industries. 
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(4) Registered apprenticeships are becoming in-
creasingly innovative and diverse in their designs, 
partnerships, timeframes, and use of emerging con-
cepts such as competency-based learning, and will 
continue to evolve to meet emerging skill require-
ments, while maintaining high standards and qual-
ity. 
(5) Registered apprenticeship programs are an 
essential element of an effective workforce develop-
ment system and help individuals attain a recognized 
postsecondary credential, contributing to their per-
sonal economic sustainability. 
(6) According to a report from the Georgetown 
University Center on Education and the Workforce, 
by 2020 the United States will face a shortage of 
5,000,000 workers with recognized postsecondary 
credentials. 
(7) According to a 2012 report from the Annie 
E. Casey Foundation, youth employment in the 
United States has reached the lowest point since 
World War II. More than 6,000,000 young people 
ages 16 through 24 are disconnected from school 
and work. 
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(8) A 2012 evaluation of registered apprentice-
ship programs in 10 States by Mathematica Policy 
Research found that— 
(A) individuals who completed registered 
apprenticeship programs earned over $240,000 
more over their careers than individuals not 
participating in such apprenticeship programs; 
(B) the estimated social benefits of reg-
istered apprenticeship programs, including addi-
tional productivity of apprentices and the reduc-
tion in governmental expenditures as a result of 
reduced use of unemployment compensation and 
public assistance, exceeded the costs of the pro-
grams by more than $49,000 per program; and 
(C) the tax return on every Federal Gov-
ernment dollar invested in registered appren-
ticeship programs was $27. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to increase the number of highly skilled 
workers in the United States, particularly in in-de-
mand industry sectors and occupations; 
(2) to increase the attainment of recognized 
postsecondary credentials by participants; 
(3) to increase awareness about the value of the 
registered apprenticeship program model as an effec-
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tive earn-and-learn model for students, workers, and 
employers; 
(4) to support the development and expansion 
of registered apprenticeship programs with employ-
ers, joint labor-management partnerships, trade and 
professional associations, and other program spon-
sors, that offer jobs that lead to economic self-suffi-
ciency; 
(5) to support the development and expansion 
of effective pre-apprenticeship programs that lead to 
success in a registered apprenticeship program; 
(6) to support a closer alignment between reg-
istered apprenticeship programs, the workforce de-
velopment system, career and technical education, 
and postsecondary education, including institutions 
of higher education; and 
(7) to support innovative models of effective 
work-based learning. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Office of Ap-
prenticeship appointed under section 101(a). 
(2) CAREER
PATHWAY.—The term ‘‘career 
pathway’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
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3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(3) 
EDUCATIONAL
SERVICE
AGENCY.—The 
term ‘‘educational service agency’’— 
(A) has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and 
(B) includes a collaborative of those agen-
cies. 
(4) HIGH
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high school’’ 
means a nonprofit institutional day or residential 
school that— 
(A) provides secondary education, as deter-
mined under State law; 
(B) grants a diploma, as defined by the 
State; and 
(C) includes, at least, grade 12. 
(5) IN-DEMAND INDUSTRY SECTOR OR OCCUPA-
TION.—The term ‘‘in-demand industry sector or oc-
cupation’’ means has the meaning given the term in 
section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(6) LOCAL AND STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOP-
MENT BOARDS.—The terms ‘‘local workforce devel-
opment board’’ and ‘‘State workforce development 
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