I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3186 
To award career pathways innovation grants to local educational agencies 
and consortia of local educational agencies, to provide technical assistance 
within the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education to administer 
the grants and support the local educational agencies with the prepara-
tion of grant applications and management of grant funds, to amend 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support community college and 
industry partnerships, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2021 
Ms. CRAIG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To award career pathways innovation grants to local edu-
cational agencies and consortia of local educational agen-
cies, to provide technical assistance within the Office 
of Career, Technical, and Adult Education to administer 
the grants and support the local educational agencies 
with the preparation of grant applications and manage-
ment of grant funds, to amend the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 to support community college and industry 
partnerships, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Work-
force Partnerships Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘elemen-
tary school’’, ‘‘high school’’, ‘‘local educational agen-
cy’’, ‘‘middle grades’’, and ‘‘secondary school’’ have 
the meanings given the terms in section 8101 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) BUSINESS
OR
INDUSTRY
PARTNER.—The 
term ‘‘business or industry partner’’ means— 
(A) a business; 
(B) an industry or sector partnership, as 
defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innova-
tion and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); 
(C) an association of multiple businesses 
or other employers in an in-demand industry 
sector or occupation, as defined in section 3 of 
the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102); 
(D) a community partner; 
(E) an intermediary organization; or 
(F) a labor management training partner-
ship. 
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(3) CAREER
PATHWAY.—The term ‘‘career 
pathway’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102). 
(4) COMMUNITY
PARTNER.—The term ‘‘com-
munity partner’’ means a nonprofit organization or 
a State, local, or tribal government entity that has 
expertise— 
(A) in the planning and delivery of edu-
cation, career training, and related programs; 
(B) in forging coordination and coopera-
tion between educators and other members of 
the community; 
(C) in training educators and other 
deliverers of educational services; 
(D) in development and implementation of 
data systems that measure the progress of stu-
dents, schools, and institutions of higher edu-
cation, or career pathways programs; or 
(E) in delivering an increase in earnings, 
family incomes, or family resources. 
(5) ELIGIBLE
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘eligible 
agency’’ means— 
(A) a local educational agency; 
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(B) a consortium of local educational agen-
cies or an agent operating on behalf of the con-
sortium; or 
(C) a school operated or funded by the Bu-
reau of Indian Education. 
(6) INDIAN.—The term ‘‘Indian’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self- 
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304). 
(7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(8) INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—The term 
‘‘intermediary organization’’ means a nonprofit orga-
nization that has expertise in training, forging pub-
lic-private partnerships, systems development, capac-
ity-building, improving scalability, and evaluation. 
(9) LABOR MANAGEMENT TRAINING PARTNER-
SHIP.—The term ‘‘labor management training part-
nership’’ means an independent organization jointly 
controlled by employers and unions that supports 
workforce training and development. 
(10) NATIVE
HAWAIIAN.—The term ‘‘Native 
Hawaiian’’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
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tion 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517). 
(11) PROGRAM
OF
STUDY.—The term ‘‘pro-
gram of study’’ means a State approved career and 
technical education program of courses that articu-
lates between secondary and postsecondary school. 
(12) 
REGISTERED
APPRENTICESHIP
PRO-
GRAM.—The term ‘‘registered apprenticeship pro-
gram’’ means a program registered under the Act of 
August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the ‘‘National 
Apprenticeship Act’’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 
U.S.C. 50 et seq.). 
(13) SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘school 
partnership’’ means a partnership that— 
(A) shall include, at a minimum— 
(i) an eligible agency; and 
(ii) one or more business or industry 
partners; and 
(B) may also include one or more of the 
following partners: 
(i) A community-based organization. 
(ii) A joint labor-management part-
nership. 
(iii) An institution of higher edu-
cation. 
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(iv) A State board or local board (as 
such terms are defined in section 3 of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3102)). 
(v) An apprenticeship college that— 
(I) is not eligible to receive funds 
under title IV of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 
et seq.); 
(II) is an institution that pro-
vides instruction related to a reg-
istered apprenticeship program or is a 
sponsor of a registered apprenticeship 
program; and 
(III) meets the requirements of 
subsection (a) or (b) of section 101 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001). 
(vi) Any other entity that the Sec-
retary, after consultation with the Sec-
retary of Labor, considers appropriate. 
(14) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of Education. 
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SEC. 3. SECONDARY SCHOOL TO CAREER PATHWAYS INNO-
VATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) CAREER PATHWAYS INNOVATION GRANT PRO-
GRAM ESTABLISHED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made avail-
able to carry out this section, the Secretary, after 
consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall es-
tablish a career pathways innovation grant program, 
through which the Secretary shall award grants, on 
a competitive basis, to eligible agencies for the pur-
pose of addressing the specialized skill needs of busi-
ness and industry by carrying out programs of study 
or career pathways programs, featuring school part-
nerships, that support career pathways in high 
school or career exploration in the middle grades, 
leading to higher subsequent employment and job 
quality. 
(2) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 
section— 
(A) shall be for a period of 3 years; and 
(B) may be renewed for one additional 2- 
year period, if the eligible agency demonstrates 
sufficient progress in achieving the goals of the 
initial grant. 
(b) APPLICATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible agency desiring a 
grant under this section shall submit to the Sec-
retary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require. 
(2) CONTENTS; PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT.— 
The application submitted under paragraph (1) shall 
include— 
(A) an initial partnership agreement, en-
tered into by the eligible agency and all mem-
bers of the school partnership, that— 
(i) specifies the duties and responsibil-
ities of each partner; 
(ii) describes the commitment of re-
sources or materials to be provided by each 
partner toward the school partnership, en-
suring that the business or industry part-
ners in the school partnership provide an 
amount of resources, in cash or in-kind, to-
ward the activities supported under the 
grant that equals or exceeds the amount 
contributed by the eligible agency and the 
amount to be provided by the grant under 
this section; and 
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(iii) describes how the overall goals of 
the school partnership align with any 
statewide, regional, or local workforce de-
velopment strategies in existence at the 
time of the application, including those es-
tablished under the Workforce Innovation 
and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et 
seq.) or the Carl D. Perkins Career and 
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
U.S.C. 2301 et seq.); 
(B) a description of how the eligible agency 
and members of the school partnership will col-
laborate to ensure the quality of the career 
pathways program offered under the grant, in-
cluding any program that leads to an industry- 
recognized credential or postsecondary credit 
leading to a degree or certification in a career 
pathway; 
(C) identification of the goals and meas-
ures used to define progress toward student 
outcomes, which may align with existing goals 
and measurement provided under the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), the Carl D. Perkins Ca-
reer and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 
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U.S.C. 2301 et seq.), and the Workforce Inno-
vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et 
seq.); and 
(D) a strategic plan describing the role 
and activities of the eligible agency and all 
members of the school partnership in sup-
porting how the program will be sustained fol-
lowing the end of the grant. 
(3) METHODS THAT MEASURE JOB QUALITY.— 
The application submitted under paragraph (1) may 
include a description of how the school partnership 
will experiment with methods that measure job qual-
ity. 
(c) AWARD BASIS.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall— 
(1) ensure that, to the extent practicable based 
on the applications received under subsection (b)— 
(A) not less than 15 percent of the grant 
funds available to carry out this section are 
awarded to rural eligible agencies; and 
(B) not less than 5 percent of the grant 
funds available to carry out this section are 
awarded to eligible agencies that serve a sub-
stantial percentage of Indian or Native Hawai-
ian children; and 
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(2) except to the extent necessary to comply 
with paragraph (1), give priority to— 
(A) any eligible agency whose school part-
nership includes an institution of higher edu-
cation offering postsecondary credits, or an en-
tity offering a registered apprenticeship pro-
gram that is articulated through secondary 
school programming counting towards the reg-
istered apprenticeship requirements, through 
the career pathways program under the grant; 
(B) any eligible agency whose career path-
ways program— 
(i) in a high school, offers concurrent 
enrollment opportunities for postsecondary 
credit; or 
(ii) leads to a recognized postsec-
ondary credential, as defined in section 3 
of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor-
tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); and 
(C) any eligible agency whose career path-
ways programs are focused on serving low-in-
come students (defined as eligible for benefits 
under the free and reduced price school lunch 
program established under the Richard B. Rus-
sell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
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1751 et seq.)), out-of-school youth, students 
with disabilities, students experiencing home-
lessness, students who are English language 
learners, students who have low levels of lit-
eracy, or youth who are in or have aged out of 
the foster care system. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) REQUIRED
USE
OF
FUNDS.—An eligible 
agency receiving grant funds under this section shall 
use grant funds to build or expand a career path-
ways program featuring school partnerships that 
supports career pathways in high school or career 
exploration in the middle grades. 
(2) PERMISSIVE USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible 
agency receiving grant funds under this section may 
use grant funds either during or outside of the 
school day or school year— 
(A) to hire a designated career pathways 
partnership coordinator to seek out and build 
relationships with business or industry partners 
to foster and manage the school partnerships 
supported under the grant; 
(B) for the costs of new equipment, infra-
structure (such as facilities, technology, and 
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staffing), or transportation related to the career 
pathways program; 
(C) to recruit, or assist with State licen-
sure and credential requirements, career and 
technical education teachers, and others imple-
menting career pathways programs; 
(D) to train or support the professional de-
velopment of career and technical education 
teachers, and others implementing career path-
ways programs, including providing externship 
opportunities for educators to spend time in in-
dustry; 
(E) for youth apprenticeship, pre-appren-
ticeship training, internship, or experiential 
learning opportunities; 
(F) to provide, as part of the career path-
ways program, coursework that awards postsec-
ondary credit at no cost to high school students; 
(G) to support development of curricula 
that offer industry-recognized credentials; and 
(H) to experiment with methods that 
measure job quality. 
(e) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) MATCHING FUNDS.—An eligible agency that 
receives a grant under this section shall provide, to-
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ward the cost of the activities assisted under the 
grant and from non-Federal sources, an amount 
equal to or greater than the amount of the grant. 
Such matching amount may be in cash or in-kind 
(including leveraged staff time) and shall include 
support from business or industry partners of a 
school partnership in accordance with the partner-
ship agreement described in subsection (b)(2). 
(2) PARTICIPATION OF BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY 
PARTNER.—In any case where a business or indus-
try partner included in an initial partnership agree-
ment described in subsection (b)(2)(A) withdraws 
from a school partnership supported under a grant 
under this section, the eligible agency shall notify 
the Secretary immediately of the withdrawal and of 
the eligible agency’s plan for obtaining a comparable 
business or industry partner. 
(f) REPORTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE AGENCY REPORTS.— 
(A) INTERIM REPORTS.—By not later than 
18 months after receiving a grant under this 
section, the eligible agency shall submit a report 
to the Secretary demonstrating that the eligible 
agency is achieving sufficient progress toward 
the goals of the grant. 
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(B) FINAL REPORTS.—Each eligible agen-
cy receiving a grant under this section shall 
prepare and submit to the Secretary a final re-
port regarding the use of funds for the grant, 
including the outcomes of the activities assisted 
under the grant, by not later than 90 days after 
the end of the grant period. 
(2) SECRETARY REPORTS.—The Secretary shall 
prepare and submit to Congress, on an annual basis, 
a report regarding the grant program under this sec-
tion that includes a summary of the reports received 
under paragraph (1) during the preceding year and 
the outcomes resulting from the use of grant funds. 
SEC. 4. CAREER PATHWAYS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Assistant Secretary of Career, Technical, and Adult Edu-
cation, shall— 
(1) administer and manage the career pathways 
innovation grants awarded under section 3; 
(2) provide technical assistance to eligible agen-
cies preparing grant applications under section 3(b); 
and 
(3) support career pathways partnership coordi-
nators, or other personnel of eligible agencies that 
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have received a grant under section 3, in order to 
ensure that— 
(A) the eligible agency participates in the 
required school partnership; and 
(B) the grant results in positive program 
outcomes. 
(b) DESIGNATED PERSONNEL FOR RURAL AND NA-
TIVE-SERVING APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall des-
ignate not less than 1 employee of the Office of Career, 
Technical, and Adult Education who will exclusively sup-
port rural and native-serving eligible agencies with the 
preparation of grant applications under section 3(b) and 
the development of school partnerships necessary to apply 
for and implement a grant under section 3. 
SEC. 5. COLLEGE TO CAREER PATHWAYS INNOVATION 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1051 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘PART H—COLLEGE TO CAREER PATHWAYS 
INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM 
‘‘SEC. 399A. COLLEGE AND INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS PRO-
GRAM. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—Not later than the end 
of the first full fiscal year after the date of enactment of 
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the 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act, from funds 
appropriated under section 399B, the Secretary (in coordi-
nation with the Secretary of Labor) shall award competi-
tive grants to eligible entities described in subsection (b) 
for the purpose of developing, offering, improving, and 
providing educational or career training programs for stu-
dents, including working students. The grants shall be 
awarded for periods of 3 years and may be renewed for 
1 additional 2-year period, if the eligible entity dem-
onstrates sufficient progress in achieving the goals of the 
initial grant period. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 
‘‘(1) PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS OR AN 
EMPLOYER OR INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) GENERAL
DEFINITION.—For pur-
poses of this section, an ‘eligible entity’ means 
any of the entities described in subparagraph 
(B) (or a consortium of any of such entities) in 
partnership with employers or an employer or 
industry partnership representing multiple em-
ployers. 
‘‘(B) DESCRIPTION OF ENTITIES.—The en-
tities described in this subparagraph are— 
‘‘(i) a community college; 
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‘‘(ii) a 4-year public institution of 
higher education (as defined in section 
101(a)) that offers 2-year degrees, and 
that will use funds provided under this sec-
tion for activities at the certificate and as-
sociate degree levels; 
‘‘(iii) a Tribal College or University 
(as defined in section 316(b)); 
‘‘(iv) an apprenticeship college (as de-
fined as an institution partnership that is 
registered under the Act of August 16, 
1937 (commonly known as the ‘National 
Apprenticeship Act’; 50 Stat. 664, chapter 
663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.) and is an insti-
tution of higher education (as defined in 
section 101(a))); or 
‘‘(v) a public or private nonprofit, 2- 
year institution of higher education (as de-
fined in section 102) in the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States 
Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Com-
monwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands, the Republic of the Marshall Is-
lands, the Federated States of Micronesia, 
or the Republic of Palau. 
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‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL PARTNERS.— 
‘‘(A) AUTHORIZATION
OF
ADDITIONAL 
PARTNERS.—In addition to partnering with em-
ployers or an employer or industry partnership 
representing multiple employers as described in 
paragraph (1)(A), an entity described in para-
graph (1) may include in the partnership de-
scribed in paragraph (1) one or more of the or-
ganizations described in subparagraph (B). 
Each eligible entity that includes one or more 
such organizations shall collaborate with the 
State board or local board in the area served by 
the eligible entity. 
‘‘(B) ORGANIZATIONS.—The organizations 
described in this subparagraph are as follows: 
‘‘(i) A provider of adult education (as 
defined in section 203 of the Adult Edu-
cation and Family Literacy Act (29 U.S.C. 
3272)) or an institution of higher edu-
cation (as defined in section 101). 
‘‘(ii) A community-based organization. 
‘‘(iii) A joint labor-management part-
nership. 
‘‘(iv) A State board or local board. 
‘‘(v) A State higher education board. 
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‘‘(vi) An elementary school or sec-
ondary school, as defined in section 8101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965. 
‘‘(vii) Any other organization that the 
Secretaries consider appropriate. 
‘‘(c) EDUCATIONAL
OR CAREER TRAINING PRO-
GRAM.—For purposes of this section, the Governor of the 
State in which at least one of the entities described in sub-
section (b)(1)(B) of an eligible entity is located shall es-
tablish criteria for an educational or career training pro-
gram leading to a recognized postsecondary credential that 
leads to higher subsequent employment and job quality for 
which an eligible entity submits a grant proposal under 
subsection (d). 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit an application con-
taining a grant proposal, for an educational or career 
training program leading to a recognized postsecondary 
credential, to the Secretaries at such time and containing 
such information as the Secretaries determine is required, 
including— 
‘‘(1) a detailed description of— 
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‘‘(A) the extent to which the educational or 
career training program described in the grant 
proposal aligns with— 
‘‘(i) an overall strategic plan devel-
oped by the eligible entity or entities; 
‘‘(ii) a statewide, regional, or local 
workforce development plan in existence at 
the time of the application, including a 
plan established under the Workforce Inno-
vation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
3101 et seq.) or the Carl D. Perkins Ca-
reer and Technical Education Act of 2006 
(20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.); 
‘‘(iii) in-demand industry sectors or 
occupations, as defined by the State or 
designated governing board, as appro-
priate, or postsecondary credit leading to a 
degree or certification in a career pathway; 
and 
‘‘(iv) goals and measurement used to 
define progress toward student outcomes 
in existence on the date of submission, 
which may align with the Carl D. Perkins 
Career and Technical Education Act of 
2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.), and the 
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Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 
(29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.); 
‘‘(B) the extent to which the program will 
meet the needs of employers in the area for 
skilled workers in in-demand industry sectors or 
occupations; 
‘‘(C) the extent to which the program will 
meet the educational or career training needs of 
students in the area; 
‘‘(D) the specific educational or career 
training program and how the program meets 
the criteria established under subsection (e), in-
cluding the manner in which the grant will be 
used to develop, offer, improve, and provide the 
educational or career training program; 
‘‘(E) any previous experience of the eligible 
entity in providing educational or career train-
ing programs, the absence of which shall not 
automatically disqualify an eligible institution 
from receiving a grant under this section; 
‘‘(F) how the program leading to the cre-
dential meets the criteria described in sub-
section (c); and 
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‘‘(G) how attaining the credential will help 
participants reach higher subsequent employ-
ment and job quality; and 
‘‘(2) a detailed plan on how the entity will en-
sure that the program will meet the performance 
measures described in subsection (g), and an assur-
ance that the entity will annually submit to the Sec-
retary information on the performance of the pro-
gram on the performance measures described in sub-
section (g). 
‘‘(e) CRITERIA FOR AWARD.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Grants under this section 
shall be awarded based on criteria established by the 
Secretaries, that include the following: 
‘‘(A) A determination of the merits of the 
grant proposal submitted by the eligible entity 
involved to develop, offer, improve, and provide 
an educational or career training program to be 
made available to students. 
‘‘(B) An assessment of the likely employ-
ment opportunities available in the area to indi-
viduals who complete an educational or career 
training program that the eligible entity pro-
poses to develop, offer, improve, and provide. 
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‘‘(C) An assessment of prior demand for 
training programs by individuals eligible for 
training and served by the eligible entity, as 
well as availability and capacity of existing (as 
of the date of the assessment) training pro-
grams to meet future demand for training pro-
grams. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretaries shall give priority to eligible 
entities that— 
‘‘(A) include a partnership, with employers 
or an employer or industry partnership, that— 
‘‘(i) pays a portion of the costs of 
educational or career training programs; 
‘‘(ii) agrees to hire individuals who 
have attained a recognized postsecondary 
credential resulting from the educational or 
career training program of the eligible en-
tity; or 
‘‘(iii) include an educational entity 
that has sought and received bonding au-
thority to fund partnerships program; 
‘‘(B) enter into a partnership with a labor 
organization or labor-management training pro-
gram to provide, through the program, tech-
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nical expertise for occupationally specific edu-
cation necessary for a recognized postsecondary 
credential leading to a skilled occupation in an 
in-demand industry sector or occupation; 
‘‘(C) are focused on serving individuals 
with barriers to employment, students who are 
veterans, spouses of members of the Armed 
Forces, individuals who are basic-skills defi-
cient, and first-generation college students; 
‘‘(D) include any eligible entities serving 
areas with high unemployment rates; 
‘‘(E) are eligible entities that include an 
institution of higher education eligible for as-
sistance under this title or title V; and 
‘‘(F) ensure geographic diversity, including 
appropriate representation of rural areas. 
‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds awarded under 
this section shall be used for one or more of the following: 
‘‘(1) The development, offering, improvement, 
and provision of educational or career training pro-
grams, that provide relevant job training for skilled 
occupations, that lead to recognized postsecondary 
credentials, that will meet the needs of employers in 
in-demand industry sectors or occupations, and that 
may include registered apprenticeship programs, on- 
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the-job training programs, and programs that sup-
port employers in upgrading the skills of their work-
force. 
‘‘(2) The development and implementation of 
policies and programs to expand opportunities for 
students to earn a recognized postsecondary creden-
tial, including a degree, in in-demand industry sec-
tors or occupations, including by— 
‘‘(A) facilitating the transfer of academic 
credits between institutions of higher education, 
including the transfer of academic credits for 
courses in the same field of study; 
‘‘(B) expanding access to college-level, 
transferable coursework, which may include co-
ordination related to transfers of credit between 
institutions or common course numbering or 
use of a general core curriculum; 
‘‘(C) developing or enhancing student sup-
port services programs; and 
‘‘(D) establishing policies and processes for 
assessing and awarding course credit for work- 
related learning. 
‘‘(3) The creation of career pathways programs 
that provide a sequence of education and occupa-
tional training that leads to a recognized postsec-
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ondary credential, including a degree, including pro-
grams that— 
‘‘(A) blend basic skills and occupational 
training; 
‘‘(B) facilitate means of transitioning par-
ticipants from non-credit occupational, basic 
skills, or developmental coursework to for-credit 
coursework within and across institutions; 
‘‘(C) build or enhance linkages, including 
the development of dual enrollment programs 
and early college high schools, between sec-
ondary education or adult education programs 
(including programs established under the Carl 
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act 
of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.) and title II 
of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
Act (29 U.S.C. 3271 et seq.)); 
‘‘(D) are innovative programs designed to 
increase the provision of training for students, 
including students who are members of the Na-
tional Guard or Reserves, to enter skilled occu-
pations in in-demand industry sectors or occu-
pations; 
‘‘(E) support paid internships that will 
allow students to simultaneously earn credit for 
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work-based learning and gain relevant employ-
ment experience in an in-demand industry sec-
tor or occupation, which shall include opportu-
nities that transition individuals into employ-
ment; and 
‘‘(F) develop competency-based education 
programs that offer an outcome-oriented ap-
proach through which recognized postsecondary 
credentials are awarded based on successful 
demonstration of skills and proficiency. 
‘‘(4) The development and implementation of— 
‘‘(A) a Pay-for-Performance program that 
leads to a recognized postsecondary credential, 
for which an eligible entity agrees to be reim-
bursed under the grant primarily on the basis 
of achievement of specified performance out-
comes and criteria agreed to by the Secretary; 
or 
‘‘(B) a Pay-for-Success program that leads 
to a recognized postsecondary credential, for 
which an eligible entity— 
‘‘(i) enters into a partnership with an 
investor, such as a philanthropic organiza-
tion that provides funding for a specific 
project to address a clear and measurable 
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educational or career training need in the 
area to be served under the grant; and 
‘‘(ii) agrees to be reimbursed under 
the grant only if the project achieves speci-
fied performance outcomes and criteria 
agreed to by the Secretary. 
‘‘(5) The development of a multiple measures of 
job quality dashboard that experiments with dif-
ferent metrics to measure job quality. 
‘‘(g) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish performance measures for the programs carried 
out under this section. 
‘‘(2) MEASURES.—The performance measures 
shall consist of— 
‘‘(A) indicators of performance, including 
the number of program participants who are in 
unsubsidized employment during the second 
quarter after exit from the program; 
‘‘(B) a level of performance for each indi-
cator described in subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(C) analysis of the income of program 
participants during the second quarter after 
exit from the program compared to the dis-
tribution of earnings across the workforce in 
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the State and the region during that same time 
period. 
‘‘(3) MONITORING
PROGRESS.—The Secretary 
shall monitor the progress of eligible entities that re-
ceive grants under this section in ensuring that their 
programs meet the performance measures. 
‘‘SEC. 399B. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
the program established by section 399A. Funds appro-
priated under this subsection shall remain available until 
the end of the 5th full fiscal year after the date of enact-
ment of the 21st Century Workforce Partnerships Act. 
‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATIVE COST.—Not more than 5 per-
cent of the amounts made available under subsection (a) 
may be used by the Secretaries for Federal administration 
the program described in that subsection, including pro-
viding technical assistance and carrying out evaluations 
for the program described in that subsection. 
‘‘(c) PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY.—The funds appro-
priated pursuant to subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall 
be available for Federal obligation for that fiscal year and 
the succeeding 4 fiscal years. 
‘‘SEC. 399C. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this part: 
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