BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 1376
AUTHOR: Romero
AMENDED: April 12, 2010
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 21, 2010
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Beth Graybill
SUBJECT : Career Technical Education (CTE): Preapprentice
aerospace
machining pilot program.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes, contingent on a federal appropriation,
a pilot preapprenticeship aerospace machining program (pilot
program), to be administered by the California Labor and
Workforce Development Agency (CLWDA), for the purpose of
preparing high school students to enter the aerospace
machining workforce.
BACKGROUND
Existing law establishes various types of CTE programs for
public schools including but not limited to regional
occupational centers and programs (ROC/P), California
partnership academies, adult education programs, and career
technical education courses that may be offered in secondary
schools and community colleges. (Education Code 52300 et.
seq. and 54690 et. seq.)
The State Board of Education (SBE) adopted model curriculum
standards for Career Technical Education (CTE) in May 2005
and adopted the curriculum frameworks for those standards in
January 2007. The standards are organized in 15 industry
sectors of interrelated occupations and broad industries, and
identify the academic and technical courses required for
various pathways within each sector.
Existing federal law, the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides approximately $100 billion for
education across states. A main principle of the act is
improving student achievement through school improvement and
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reform.
Existing law, the Shelley-Maloney Apprentice Labor Standards
Act of 1939 established the California Apprenticeship Council
(CAC) and governs apprenticeship programs in California. The
California Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS)
certifies apprenticeship programs in accordance with
standards set by the CAC and state and federal laws. (Labor
Code 3070-3079, Education Code 8150-8156)
Existing state law establishes the California Workforce
Investment Board (CWIB) and requires the CWIB to assist the
Governor with promoting the development, oversight, and
continuous development of a well-educated and highly skilled
workforce, and also assist in the development of the State
Workforce Investment Plan. (Unemployment Insurance Code
14010 and 14200)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Establishes a pilot preapprenticeship aerospace
machining program, administered by the California Labor
and Workforce Development Agency (CLWDA) to provide
career technical education to high school pupils until
January 1, 2015.
2) Expresses the intent of the Legislature that the goal
of the pilot program shall be the development of a
strategy to address labor needs in the manufacturing
industry in general and in the aerospace industry in
particular, and that the CLWDA shall focus on efforts to
assist in this strategy.
3) Requires the curriculum for the pilot program to
include specified green technologies in aerospace
manufacturing including; a) the use of computers to
assist in metalworking, b) training in machining of
lighter, strategic metals, and c) training in the
fabrication of more energy-efficient aircraft
ventilation, healing and cooling systems.
4) Establishes the Machinist Investment Fund (MIF),
administered by CLWDA, and requires all funds for the
purposes of the pilot program to be deposited into it.
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5) Specifies that nothing in this bill shall be
construed to impose a mandate on local workforce
investment boards with regard to how to spend Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) funds, including funds made
available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act (ARRA).
6) Requires community colleges, in partnership with
local workforce investment boards, employers, and high
schools to apply for grants that shall be competitively
awarded based on specified criteria.
7) Requires the California Community Colleges
Chancellor's Office to develop preapprenticeship model
curriculum in aerospace technology, and machining
technology generally:
a) Specifies that the model curriculum shall
result in the issuance of a certificate of
completion stating that the holder has completed
curriculum that meets the National Institute of
Metalworking Skills (NIMS) standards.
b) Authorizes individual community colleges that
wish to participate in the pilot program to have
the option of adopting either the model curriculum
developed by the Chancellor's office or alternative
curriculum that meets the standard for the
certificate of completion.
c) Requires the community colleges to administer
to students a NIMS examination that, if passed,
will result in the issuance of a NIMS certificate.
8) Requires the California Community Colleges that
receive a pilot program grant to, in consultation with
area high schools, identify the location at which
instruction shall occur, whether on a high school
campus, ROC/P, or a community college campus.
9) Requires grant recipients to reserve 10 percent of
funds for an evaluation and requires each community
college, in consultation with its local workforce
investment board, to complete an evaluation before and
submit the evaluation to the Chancellor's office by the
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end date of the grant award. Requires the Chancellor's
office to compile information from the evaluations and
submit a statewide pilot program evaluation as specified
to the Legislature by December 1, 2013.
10) Specifies the program shall remain in effect until
January 1, 2015 unless a later statue deletes or extends
that date.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author's office,
the purpose of the
SB 1376 is to establish a career technical education
program that will prepare at-risk high school students
for entry-level positions with local aerospace or
manufacturing employers who may offer apprenticeship
programs. According to the author, this bill attempts
to address the twin crises of California's high dropout
rate and a growing shortage of skilled machinists who
can fabricate high-precision, close-tolerance parts and
products required in various industries including
medical and aerospace.
According to the California Space Authority,
California's space enterprise plays an essential role in
California's economy; accounting for over 370,000 jobs
in a wide range of fields from information technology
and finance to manufacturing and health care and having
a total impact of over $76 billion in 2007. The author
notes that the manufacturing industry in general, and
the aerospace industry in particular, is facing an
impending shortage of skilled machinists as baby boomers
near retirement and employers look for qualified workers
to replace them. Arguably, this potential labor
shortage could negatively impact California's economy if
industries move out of state in
order to find skilled labor. To the extent that the
pilot program provides a rigorous and engaging
curriculum, SB 1376 could help at-risk pupils stay in
school while addressing the need for skilled machinists.
2) How is this different than other CTE programs ? This
bill establishes a CTE program that would operate
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outside existing CTE programs. While local education
agencies can offer aerospace-themed ROC/Ps or
partnership academy programs, the author contends that
existing programs are not tailored to meet the specific
need the manufacturing industry has for machinists,
including those in the aerospace industry.
3) Are federal funds available to implement this
measure ? This bill requires the pilot program to be
funded through a direct appropriation from Congress and
specifies implementation of the pilot program is
contingent on the receipt of sufficient federal funding.
4) Related and prior legislation .
SB 747 (Romero, 2009) SB 1376 is identical to
SB 747, with the exception that SB 747 would have
required the program to be funded by a combination
of private nonprofit and public funds, including
but not limited to federal funds. This bill was
passed by this Committee on a 9-0 vote and was
subsequently held by the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
SB 725 (Hancock, 2009) would have authorized
ROC/Ps, upon approval and certification by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, to offer a
California Apprenticeship Preparation Program. SB
725 was passed by this Committee by a 6-0 vote and
was subsequently held by the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
SB 956 (Romero) requires $5 million dollars
appropriated from federal Workforce Investment Act
funds to be made available to local education
agencies to train teachers who have laid off or
displaced as a result of a reduction in force to
become qualified to teach science, math, or
industrial and technology education.
SUPPORT
None received.
OPPOSITION
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None received.