CHANCE in TECH Act
Bill: S.2227 | Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin (D-NM)
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
Championing Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology Act or the CHANCE in TECH Act
This bill requires the Department of Labor to enter into contracts with industry intermediaries to promote the development of and access to apprenticeships in the technology sector.
The Department of Education (ED) may issue CHANCE in TECH Awards for 21st Century Schools to secondary schools or junior or community colleges that demonstrate high achievement in providing students necessary skills to compete in the 21st century workforce. In making an award, ED must consider the availability of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), career and technical education, and computer technology courses at the schools.

To direct the Secretary of Labor to enter into contracts with industry 
intermediaries for purposes of promoting the development of and access 
  to apprenticeships in the technology sector, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Championing Apprenticeships for New 
Careers and Employees in Technology Act'' or the ``CHANCE in TECH 
Act''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (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 provide 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 transferrable across 
        nearly all industries.
            (5) Exceptional education and on-the-job training programs 
        exist and should be scaled to meet the demands of the modern 
        technology workforce.
            (6) Adoption of existing employer-driven intermediary 
        models, such as ApprenticeshipUSA under the Department of 
        Labor, will help grow the information 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 technology sector 
        is essential to the growth and competitiveness 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) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May 
        2020, the median annual wage for computer and information 
        technology occupations was $91,250, which was higher than the 
        median annual wage for all occupations of $41,950.

SEC. 3. TECHNOLOGY APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Labor (referred to in this 
section as ``the Secretary'') shall enter into contracts with industry 
intermediaries for the purpose of promoting 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 contract 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 contracts under this 
section based on competitive criteria to be prescribed by the 
Secretary.
    (d) Contractor Activities.--An industry intermediary that is 
awarded a contract under this section may only use the funds made 
available through such contract to carry out activities designed to 
further the purpose described in subsection (a), including--
            (1) facilitating the provision and development of 
        apprenticeships in the technology sector through collaborations 
        with public and private entities that provide job-related 
        instruction, such as on-the-job training, pre-apprenticeship 
        training, and technical training;
            (2) encouraging entities to establish such apprenticeships;
            (3) identifying, assessing, and training applicants 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 
                apprenticeship 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 accelerate completion of preparation for 
                the apprenticeship; 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 Education may issue 
awards, to be known as ``CHANCE in TECH Awards for 21st Century 
Schools'', to schools (referred to in this section as ``covered 
schools'') that--
            (1) are secondary schools or junior or community colleges; 
        and
            (2) demonstrate high achievement in providing students 
        necessary skills to compete in the 21st century 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 technical 
        education, and computer technology courses at the covered 
        school;
            (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 learning programs such as 
        apprenticeships and internships; and
            (4) the availability of individualized plans provided by 
        the covered school to students relating to postsecondary 
        education or training, career paths, and financial aid.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) Fiscal Year 2021.--Amounts made available to the Secretary of 
Labor under the Department of Labor Appropriations Act, 2021 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 2022 
and each subsequent fiscal year.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Apprenticeship.--The term ``apprenticeship'' means an 
        apprenticeship 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.).
            (2) Career and technical education.--The term ``career and 
        technical education'' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education 
        Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).
            (3) Early college high school.--The term ``early college 
        high school'' has the meaning given such term in section 8101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (4) High school.--The term ``high school'' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (5) Industry intermediary.--The term ``industry 
        intermediary'' means an entity that--
                    (A) in order to accelerate apprenticeship program 
                development and helps establish new apprenticeship 
                partnerships at the national, State, or regional level, 
                serves as a conduit between an employer and an entity, 
                such as--
                            (i) an industry partner;
                            (ii) the Department of Labor; and
                            (iii) a State agency responsible for 
                        workforce development programs;
                    (B) demonstrates a capacity to work with employers 
                and other key partners to identify workforce trends and 
                foster public-private funding to establish new 
                apprenticeship programs; and
                    (C) is an entity such as--
                            (i) a business;
                            (ii) a consortium of businesses;
                            (iii) a business-related nonprofit 
                        organization, including industry associations 
                        and business federations;
                            (iv) a private organization functioning as 
                        a workforce intermediary for the express 
                        purpose of serving the needs of businesses, 
                        including community-based nonprofit service 
                        providers and industry-aligned training 
                        providers; or
                            (v) a consortium of any of the entities 
                        described in clauses (i) through (iv).
            (6) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1002).
            (7) Junior or community college.--The term ``junior or 
        community college'' has the meaning given the term in section 
        312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)).
            (8) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (9) Secondary school.--The term ``secondary school'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (10) State educational agency.--The term ``State 
        educational agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 
        8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (11) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics.
            (12) Technology sector.--The term ``technology sector'' 
        means the industry sector involved in the design or development 
        of hardware, software, or security of digital data.
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