I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5509 
To direct the National Science Foundation to provide grants for research 
about STEM education approaches and the STEM-related workforce, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 13, 2018 
Mr. MCCARTHY (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Texas) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology 
A BILL 
To direct the National Science Foundation to provide grants 
for research about STEM education approaches and the 
STEM-related workforce, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Innovations in Men-
toring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) To remain competitive in the global econ-
omy, foster greater innovation, and provide a foun-
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dation for shared prosperity, the United States 
needs a workforce with the right mix of skills to 
meet the diverse needs of the economy. 
(2) Evidence indicates that the returns on in-
vestments in technical skills in the labor market are 
strong when students successfully complete their 
training and gain credentials sought by employers. 
(3) The responsibility for developing and sus-
taining a skilled technical workforce is fragmented 
across many groups, including educators; students; 
workers; employers; Federal, State, and local govern-
ments; labor organizations; and civic associations. 
Such groups need to be able to coordinate and co-
operate successfully with each other. 
(4) Coordination among students, community 
colleges, secondary and post-secondary institutions, 
and employers would improve educational outcomes. 
(5) Promising experiments currently underway 
may guide innovation and reform, but scalability of 
some of those experiments has not yet been tested. 
(6) Evidence suggests that integration of aca-
demic education, technical training, and hands-on 
work experience improves outcomes and return on 
investment for students in secondary and post-sec-
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ondary education and for skilled technical workers in 
different career stages. 
(7) Outcomes show that mentoring can increase 
STEM student engagement and the rate of comple-
tion of STEM post-secondary degrees. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION STEM INNOVA-
TION AND APPRENTICESHIP GRANTS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall award competitive grants to eli-
gible applicants in accordance with this section. 
(b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 
Director shall consult and cooperate with the programs 
and policies of other relevant Federal agencies to avoid 
duplication with, and enhance the effectiveness of, the pro-
vision of grants under this section. 
(c) GRANTS FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN 
STEM FIELDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall award competitive grants 
to community colleges to develop or improve asso-
ciate degree and certificate programs in STEM 
fields in which there is significant workforce demand 
in the region of the community college receiving the 
award and a need to strengthen the global competi-
tiveness of affected companies. 
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(2) APPLICATION.—In considering applications 
for grants under paragraph (1), the Director shall 
prioritize— 
(A) applicants that consist of a partnership 
between the applying community college and in-
dividual employers or an employer consortia, 
and may include a university or other organiza-
tion with demonstrated expertise in academic 
program development; 
(B) applications that demonstrate current 
and future workforce demand in occupations di-
rectly related to the proposed associate degree 
or certificate program. 
(C) applications that include commitments 
by the partnering employers or employer con-
sortia to offer apprenticeships, internships or 
other applied learning opportunities to students 
enrolled in the proposed associate degree pro-
gram; and 
(D) applications that include outreach 
plans and goals for recruiting and enrolling 
women and other historically underrepresented 
individuals in STEM studies and careers in the 
proposed associate degree program. 
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(3) FUNDING.—The National Science Founda-
tion shall devote not less than $20,000,000 to 
awards described in this subsection, which shall in-
clude not less than $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2021, subject to the availability 
of appropriations, to come from amounts made avail-
able for the Education and Human Resources Direc-
torate. This subsection shall be carried out using 
funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(d) GRANTS FOR STEM DEGREE APPLIED LEARN-
ING OPPORTUNITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall award competitive grants 
to universities partnering with employers or em-
ployer consortia that commit to offering apprentice-
ships, internships, research opportunities, or applied 
learning experiences to enrolled university students 
in identified four-year STEM degree programs. 
(2) APPLICATION.—In considering applications 
for grants under paragraph (1), the Director shall 
prioritize— 
(A) applicants that consist of a partnership 
between— 
(i) the applying university; and 
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