I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1454
To provide for the development of workplace readiness competencies and
voluntary national industry-recognized skill standards, to promote school-
to-work transition and youth apprenticeship, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 24, 1993
Mr. GUNDERSON (for himself, Mr. GOODLING, Mr. PETRI, Ms. MOLINARI,
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. KOLBE, and Mr. BEREU-
TER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and Labor
A BILL
To provide for the development of workplace readiness com-
petencies and voluntary national industry-recognized skill
standards, to promote school-to-work transition and
youth apprenticeship, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘National School-to-Work Transition and Youth Appren-
ticeship Act of 1993’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents is
as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Findings.
TITLE I—INTERAGENCY COMPACT ON WORKFORCE
PREPARATION
Sec. 101. Purpose.
Sec. 102. Establishment.
Sec. 103. Duties.
Sec. 104. Staff.
Sec. 105. Availability of amounts.
TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT OF WORKPLACE READINESS COM-
PETENCIES AND VOLUNTARY NATIONAL INDUSTRY-RECOG-
NIZED SKILL STANDARDS
Sec. 201. Purposes.
Sec. 202. National Advisory Group on Workforce Skills.
Sec. 203. Assistance in formation of industry partnerships.
Sec. 204. Grants to industry partnerships.
Sec. 205. Endorsement of competencies, skill standards, and related rec-
ommendations.
Sec. 206. Availability of competencies, skill standards, and related recommenda-
tions.
Sec. 207. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE III—STATE SCHOOL-TO-WORK TRANSITION CHALLENGE
GRANTS
Sec. 301. Purpose.
Subtitle A—Planning Grants
Sec. 311. Authorization.
Sec. 312. Application.
Sec. 313. Use of amounts.
Subtitle B—Implementation Grants
Sec. 321. Authorization.
Sec. 322. Application.
Sec. 323. Use of amounts.
Sec. 324. Federal and State share.
Sec. 325. Reports.
Sec. 326. Administrative costs.
Subtitle C—Approval and Disapproval of State Plans
Sec. 331. Submission of State plan.
Sec. 332. Approval and disapproval.
Subtitle D—Authorization of Appropriations
Sec. 341. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE IV—STATE YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM GRANTS
Sec. 401. Purposes.
Subtitle A—Grants to States
Sec. 411. Authorization.
Sec. 412. Application.
Sec. 413. Use of amounts.
Sec. 414. Reports.
Sec. 415. Federal and State share.
Sec. 416. Equitable distribution.
Sec. 417. Administrative and related costs.
Sec. 418. Authorization of appropriations.
Subtitle B—National Youth Apprenticeship Criteria and Safeguards
Sec. 421. National youth apprenticeship criteria.
Sec. 422. Labor standards and safeguards.
Subtitle C—Relationship to Other Federal Laws
Sec. 431. Vocational education.
Sec. 432. Job training.
Sec. 433. Elementary and secondary education.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions
apply:
(1) CAREER
AWARENESS
AND
EXPLORATION
PROGRAMS.—The term ‘‘career awareness and explo-
ration programs’’ means school curriculum and
work-based exploration of career options in an in-
dustry or occupational cluster or orientation to a
specific occupation which should precede application
to a youth apprenticeship program.
(2) CERTIFICATE
OF
MASTERY.—The term
‘‘certificate of mastery’’ means the documented at-
tainment of voluntary national industry-recognized
skill standards.
(3) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor‘’ means
the chief executive of any State.
(4) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given
such term in section 1471(12) of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
2891(12)).
(5) PRIVATE
INDUSTRY
COUNCIL.—The term
‘‘private industry council’’ has the meaning given
such term in section 102 of the Job Training Part-
nership Act (29 U.S.C. 1512).
(6) SCHOOL-TO-WORK TRANSITION.—The term
‘‘school-to-work transition’’ means the comprehen-
sive process by which students acquire academic and
occupational 
skills, 
workplace 
readiness 
com-
petencies, and in some instances work experience, to
assist in the transition from school to employment.
(7) STATE.— The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 1201(b) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965.
(8) VOLUNTARY
NATIONAL
INDUSTRY-RECOG-
NIZED SKILL STANDARDS.—The term ‘‘voluntary na-
tional industry-recognized skill standards’’ means in-
dustry-based occupational proficiencies that establish
the skills that are required by an industry, which
shall be marked to world class levels of industry per-
formance and tied to measurable performance-based
outcomes that can be readily assessed, and are com-
parable across industries, similar occupations, and
States.
(9) WORKPLACE
MENTOR.—The term ‘‘work-
place mentor’’ means an individual at a worksite
who instructs an apprentice, critiques the perform-
ance of the apprentice, challenges the apprentice to
perform well, and works in cooperation with class-
room teachers and others involved in the youth ap-
prenticeship program.
(10) 
WORKPLACE
READINESS
COM-
PETENCIES.—The term ‘‘workplace readiness com-
petencies’’ means cross-industry, cross-occupational
skills that are needed to be effective in the
workforce.
(11) YOUTH
APPRENTICE.—The term ‘‘youth
apprentice’’ means an individual—
(A) who has attained the age of 16;
(B) who is currently enrolled in a second-
ary school, as such term is defined in section
1471(21) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2891(21));
and
(C) who is participating in a certified
youth apprenticeship program.
(12) YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP AGREEMENT.—
The term ‘‘youth apprenticeship agreement’’ means
a written agreement between an employer, local edu-
cational entity, student in a youth apprenticeship
program, and the parent or guardian of such stu-
dent, which defines the parties’ respective roles and
responsibilities.
(13) YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM.—The
term ‘‘youth apprenticeship program’’ means a pro-
gram that—
(A) integrates academic instruction and
work-based learning;
(B) provides for worksite learning and paid
work experience;
(C) is offered to students beginning in the
11th or 12th grade;
(D) is intended to—
(i) result in receipt of a high school
diploma and an approved certificate of
mastery; and
(ii) lead, as appropriate, to entry into
a postsecondary program, a program reg-
istered under the National Apprenticeship
Act, or permanent employment; and
(E) is certified as meeting national youth
apprenticeship criteria.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Demographic trends, technological change,
increased international competition, and in some in-
stances, failure of United States education and
training systems have resulted in shortages of skilled
workers and an excess of unskilled, hard-to-employ
individuals.
(2) The American workplace of the future will
demand different and higher level skills for which
too many of our youths are not currently trained.
(3) Between 1975 and 1990, higher skill occu-
pations grew at almost 21⁄2 times the rate of lower
skill occupations, and this trend is expected to con-
tinue with higher skill occupations projected to grow
nearly twice as fast as lower skill occupations during
the period 1990 through 2005.
(4) The competitiveness of the United States
will increasingly depend on a well-educated and well-
trained workforce.
(5) The United States is the only major indus-
trialized nation that lacks a formal system for help-
ing youths make the transition from school to work.
(6) At a time when only 50 percent of United
States youths go on to college after high school, with
only 20 to 25 percent of all youths completing 4-
year degrees, the United States educational system
continues to be geared disproportionately toward
meeting the needs of college-bound students.
(7) A significant proportion of youths in the
United States lack the necessary skills to meet em-
ployer requirements for entry level positions.
(8) High quality work-based learning programs,
particularly youth apprenticeship programs, have
shown strong potential to enable the United States
to compete better in the global marketplace by im-
proving 
workforce 
preparation 
and 
facilitating
youths’ transition from school to work.
(9) Unlike other industrialized countries, the
United States has no system of skill standards driv-
ing its workforce development programs.
(10) The development of voluntary national in-
dustry-recognized skill standards will benefit busi-
ness and industry, workers and potential workers,
organizations representing workers, educators, and
the job training community.
(11) The Federal Government should facilitate,
but not mandate, the development of voluntary na-
tional industry-recognized skill standards, and such
standards should be developed by partnerships of
business and industry, workers, and experts in the
fields of education and training in those industries
for which the standards are developed.
(12) Voluntary national industry-recognized
skill standards should be broad-based, not job spe-
cific, and should be recognized as the essential build-
ing blocks of a comprehensive workforce develop-
ment system.
TITLE 
I—INTERAGENCY 
COM-
PACT ON WORKFORCE PREP-
ARATION
SEC. 101. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this title is to establish an Inter-
agency Compact on Workforce Preparation to carry out
activities to improve the United States workforce, specifi-
cally in the areas of workplace readiness competencies, vol-
untary national industry-recognized skill standards,
school-to-work transition, and youth apprenticeship.
SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established an Interagency Compact on
Workforce Preparation (in this Act referred to as the
‘‘Compact’’). The Compact shall be administered under
the terms of an interagency agreement entered into by the
Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Labor, in
consultation with the Secretary of Commerce.
SEC. 103. DUTIES.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Compact, in consultation
with appropriate Federal agencies and national organiza-
tions and associations representing business, labor, and
experts in the fields of education and training (as the
Compact determines necessary), shall—
(1) in accordance with section 203, identify in-
dustries or clusters of industries (where appropriate)
for which voluntary national industry-recognized
skill standards might be developed and utilized suc-
cessfully, and provide technical assistance and other
forms of assistance to assist individuals to establish
partnerships in such industries that would be eligible
to receive grants under section 204;
(2) in accordance with section 204, provide
grants to industry partnerships for the purpose of
developing voluntary national industry-recognized
skill standards;
establish procedures similar to the procedures de-
scribed in paragraph (5) to measure the perform-
ance or success of such programs;
(8) provide procedures under which a State
may apply for a grant under sections 321 and 411
in a single application to establish a unified State
plan for establishing school-to-work transition sys-
tems and youth apprenticeship programs in such
State;
(9) conduct research, in cooperation with the
Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
where appropriate, on—
(A) methods of assessment, curriculum de-
velopment, translation, and dissemination of
best practices with regard to the application of
workplace readiness competencies and industry-
recognized skill standards to the teaching of
academics and work-based learning in education
and training programs, including grades K–12;
(B) the infrastructures, programs, and
services that are needed to provide youths with
the education, competencies, and skills nec-
essary to made a successful transition from
school to work and into further education and
training activities which are directly related to
an occupation; and
(C) the development of youth apprentice-
ship opportunities in new and emerging indus-
tries, and existing industries where such oppor-
tunities do not currently exist, and other re-
search activities as determined to be appro-
priate;
(10) establish a clearinghouse for information
obtained as a result of programs established under
this Act for the purpose of—
(A) maintaining such information, includ-
ing information on—
(i) the identification of workplace
readiness competencies and national indus-
try-recognized skill standards, and on best
practices in applying such competencies
and standards to the teaching of academics
and work-based learning in education and
training programs, including grades K–12;
(ii) 
school-to-work 
transition 
pro-
grams and services that lead to successful
movement of students from high school
into the workforce or into further edu-
cation and training activities which are di-
rectly related to an occupation; and
(iii) model youth apprenticeship pro-
grams; and
(B) disseminating such information, upon
request from States or local educational agen-
cies, educational institutions, eligible local con-
sortia, or other interested entities and individ-
uals, where appropriate, including information
necessary for the replication of model youth ap-
prenticeship programs; and
(11) conduct studies to—
(A) evaluate the initial and continuing im-
pact of activities undertaken under this Act on
individuals (including students and employees),
schools, and employers;
(B) examine the use of funds under the
Job Training Partnership Act (29 U.S.C. 1501
et seq.), the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and
Applied Technology Education Act (20 U.S.C.
2301 et seq.), and the Elementary and Second-
ary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2701 et
seq.), other appropriate Federal, State, or local
programs, and funds from appropriate private
resources, in support of these programs;
(C) determine the extent to which States
are implementing youth apprenticeship pro-
grams in accordance with title IV and the num-
ber of students participating in such programs
on a State-by-State basis; and
(D) evaluate other issues as the Compact
determines appropriate.
(b) REPORTS.—
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Compact shall submit an initial report to the Presi-
dent and the Congress on the results of the studies
conducted pursuant to subsection (a)(11).
(2) BIENNIAL
REPORTS
TO
CONGRESS.—The
Compact shall submit to the Congress on a biennial
basis a report with respect to grants provided under
section 411 to promote youth apprenticeship pro-
grams.
SEC. 104. STAFF.
The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of
Labor shall provide to the Compact staff and other sup-
portive services necessary for the Compact to carry out
its duties under section 103.
SEC. 105. AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,
amounts made available under sections 207(a)(2), 326,
and 417, for a fiscal year shall be available to carry out
paragraphs (9) through (11) of section 103(a).
TITLE 
II—DEVELOPMENT 
OF
WORKPLACE 
READINESS
COMPETENCIES 
AND 
VOL-
UNTARY 
NATIONAL 
INDUS-
TRY-RECOGNIZED 
SKILL
STANDARDS
SEC. 201. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this title are—
(1) to facilitate the identification of workplace
readiness competencies which employers agree that
all students should possess upon completion of high
school in order to be effective participants in the
workforce and to make recommendations on the in-
corporation of such competencies into the academic
and work-based curriculum in grades K–12, as well
as other appropriate education and training pro-
grams, taking into account the previous work of the
Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary
Skills; and
(2) to facilitate the development and subsequent
adoption of a national system of voluntary national
industry-recognized skill standards, including rec-
ommendations for the assessment and application of
such skill standards to education and training pro-
grams, leading to certifications of mastery for broad-
ly-based occupations within major industries for
which no recognized standards currently exist.
SEC. 202. NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP ON WORKFORCE
SKILLS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a Na-
tional Advisory Group on Workforce Skills (in this Act re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Advisory Group’’).
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education
and the Secretary of Labor (in this title referred to
as the ‘‘Secretaries’’), in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Commerce, shall appoint the members of
the Advisory Group from among the following indi-
viduals:
(A) Individuals who are representatives of
business and industry (including small busi-
ness), who have expertise and interest in
workforce development and who are selected
from among nominees submitted by national
business organizations and national trade asso-
ciations.