(1) During any given 90-day period there can 
be more than 500,000 information technology job 
openings in the United States. 
(2) Employment in the technology sector is 
growing twice as fast as employment in the United 
States. 
(3) Jobs in the technology sector tend to pro-
vide higher pay and better benefits than other jobs 
and have been more resilient to economic downturn 
than jobs available in other private sector industries. 
(4) Information technology skills are transfer-
able across nearly all industries. 
(5) Exceptional education and on-the-job train-
ing programs exist and should be scaled to meet the 
demands of the modern technology workforce. 
(6) Adoption of existing employer-driven inter-
mediary models, such as ApprenticeshipUSA under 
the Department of Labor, will help grow the infor-
mation technology workforce. 
(7) Career pathway education should start in 
high school through pathways and programs of 
study that align with local and regional employer 
needs. 
(8) Preparing a student for a job in the tech-
nology sector is essential to the growth and competi-
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tiveness of the economy in the United States in the 
21st century. 
(9) Nearly 800,000 information technology 
workers will retire between 2017 and 2024. 
(10) In 2016, the average salary in the infor-
mation technology sector was $108,000, while the 
average salary among all other sectors was $53,040. 
SEC. 3. TECHNOLOGY APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor (referred 
to in this section as ‘‘the Secretary’’) shall enter into con-
tracts with industry intermediaries for the purpose of pro-
moting the development of and access to apprenticeships 
in the technology sector, from amounts appropriated 
under subsection (e). 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to be awarded a con-
tract under this section, an industry intermediary shall 
submit an application to the Secretary, at such time and 
in such a manner as may be required by the Secretary, 
that identifies proposed activities designed to further the 
purpose described in subsection (a). 
(c) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall award con-
tracts under this section based on competitive criteria to 
be prescribed by the Secretary. 
(d) CONTRACTOR ACTIVITIES.—An industry inter-
mediary that is awarded a contract under this section may 
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only use the funds made available through such contract 
to carry out activities designed to further the purpose de-
scribed in subsection (a), including— 
(1) facilitating the provision and development of 
apprenticeships in the technology sector through col-
laborations with public and private entities that pro-
vide job-related instruction, such as on-the-job train-
ing, pre-apprenticeship training, and technical train-
ing; 
(2) encouraging entities to establish such ap-
prenticeships; 
(3) identifying, assessing, and training appli-
cants for such apprenticeships who are— 
(A) enrolled in high school; 
(B) enrolled in an early college high school 
that focuses on education in STEM subjects; 
(C) individuals aged 18 years or older who 
meet appropriate qualification standards; or 
(D) enrolled in pre-apprenticeship or ap-
prenticeship training initiatives that allow 
adults to concurrently increase academic and 
workforce skills through proven, evidence-based 
models that connect all learning to the specific 
apprenticeship involved and significantly accel-
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erate completion of preparation for the appren-
ticeship; and 
(4) tracking the progress of such applicants 
who participate in such apprenticeships. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 
sums as may be necessary for the purposes of carrying 
out this section. 
SEC. 4. CHANCE IN TECH AWARDS FOR 21ST CENTURY 
SCHOOLS. 
(a) AWARDS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Edu-
cation may issue awards, to be known as ‘‘CHANCE in 
TECH Awards for 21st Century Schools’’, to schools (re-
ferred to in this section as ‘‘covered schools’’) that— 
(1) are secondary schools or junior or commu-
nity colleges; and 
(2) demonstrate high achievement in providing 
students necessary skills to compete in the 21st cen-
tury workforce. 
(b) CRITERIA.—In selecting a covered school for an 
award under subsection (a), the Secretary shall take into 
account— 
(1) the availability of STEM, career and tech-
nical education, and computer technology courses at 
the covered school; 
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(2) State academic assessments, as described in 
section 111(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)), of 
students at the covered school in STEM subjects; 
(3) any coordination between the covered school 
and local and regional employers in the technology 
sector for the purpose of providing work-based learn-
ing programs such as apprenticeships and intern-
ships; and 
(4) the availability of individualized plans pro-
vided by the covered school to students relating to 
postsecondary education or training, career paths, 
and financial aid. 
SEC. 5. FUNDING. 
(a) FISCAL YEAR 2017.—Amounts made available to 
the Secretary of Labor under the Department of Labor 
Appropriations Act, 2017 to carry out the Act referred 
to in section 6(1) may be used to carry out this Act. 
(b) SUBSEQUENT YEARS.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may 
be necessary for fiscal year 2018 and each subsequent fis-
cal year. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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