BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 554
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 554 (Atkins)
As Introduced February 16, 2011
Majority vote
LABOR & EMPLOYMENT 5-1 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5
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|Ayes:|Swanson, Alejo, Allen, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Blumenfield, |
| |Furutani, Yamada | |Bradford, Charles |
| | | |Calderon, Campos, Davis, |
| | | |Gatto, Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| | | |Mitchell, Solorio |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Miller |Nays:|Harkey, Donnelly, |
| | | |Nielsen, Norby, Wagner |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : This bill requires local workforce investment boards
(WIBs) to coordinate programs and services funded by the Workforce
Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), and approved by the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards (DAS), with community colleges to provide
preapprenticeship training. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the California Workforce Investment Board (CWIB) to
ensure that programs and services funded by WIA and directed to
apprenticeable occupations, including preapprenticeship training,
are conducted to the maximum extent feasible, coordinate with
apprenticeship programs approved by DAS.
2)Requires CWIB and all local WIBs to collaborate with community
colleges and approved apprenticeship programs in their respective
geographic areas to provide preapprenticeship training,
apprenticeship training, and continuing education in
apprenticeable occupations through approved apprenticeship
programs.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to Assembly Appropriations Committee,
there will be minor absorbable costs to the CWIB to implement this
bill including holding regional meetings with WIBs to develop
policies of collaboration between community and apprenticeship
programs and depending on the results of these meetings WIBs may
reallocate federal WIA funds to implement the recommendations.
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COMMENTS : In general terms, apprenticeship is a program of
instruction that combines a formal course of theoretical in-class
instruction with practical "on-the-job" training. According to the
federal Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employment, and Labor
Services (OATELS), the purpose of a registered apprenticeship
program is to enable employers to develop and apply industry
standards to training programs that can increase productivity and
improve the quality of the workforce.
DAS notes that apprenticeship programs operate under training
standards that are agreed to by labor and/or management in
accordance with state and federal laws. Under these programs, an
apprentice works with a skilled worker and gains on the job skills
and "know-how" and in turn becomes an important part of the
occupation and industry. DAS states that those crafts in which
management and labor organizations exist, each selects an equal
number of members to serve on the joint apprenticeship committee.
The joint apprenticeship committee determines the standards for
training of its occupation and supervises the training of
apprentices.
According to DAS, in many cases, the local apprenticeship committees
have guidelines in the form of national and/or statewide standards
recommended by the advisory organizations. But these are minimums
and the local groups usually have complete autonomy in developing
and administering their own programs.
California's Eligible Training Provider List (ETPL) was established
to comply with WIA requirements to provide customer-focused
employment training for adults and dislocated workers.
Apprenticeship programs are counted among the training providers who
are eligible to receive Individual Training Accounts through WIA
Title I-B funds. According to the Employment Development Department
Web site, as of April 7, 2011, there are 14,517 approved programs
(courses or combination of courses) that may lead to employment and
84 state approved apprenticeship programs on the ETPL.
According to the author, preapprenticeship, "green construction
training," and other local training programs funded by WIA dollars
fail to connect youth and adult participants to actual pathways to
journeyperson certifications through state approved apprenticeship
programs. The author notes that, to address this disconnect, WIA
funded training in apprenticeable occupations must be formally
connected with one or more state approved apprenticeship programs.
The author asserts that this will establish critical connections
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with apprenticeship programs and other labor-management training
partnerships in growth sectors maximizing the public investment in
workforce development.
A report from the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at
the University of California, Berkeley, titled "California Workforce
Education and Training Needs Assessment: For Energy Efficiency,
Distributed Generation and Demand Response," (UCB Report) states
that California's workforce development system is extensive but
fragmented. The UCB Report notes that there is limited coordination
among WIBs, community colleges, apprenticeship programs, and other
training and educations agencies. The UCB Report asserts that the
WIA system is currently driven by a "work first" mandate, with the
bulk of resources going to the One-Stop Career Centers to help job
seekers find a job quickly, rather than investing in training.
In addition, the UCB Report states that WIA's limited resources are
being funneled through individual training vouchers instead of
facilitating training and education infrastructure planning and
development. The UCB Report notes that community colleges alone
have the most post-secondary training programs, though they do not
always have value in the market because of the lack of clear
industry-recognized certifications in many occupations. Therefore,
the UCB Report recommends system-wide collaboration between the
state's community colleges and apprenticeship programs at the
pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and continuing education levels.
In a letter expressing their sponsorship of this bill, the State
Building and Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTCC)
writes that too many local WIBs offering construction relating
training are not connected to state approved apprenticeship, which
provides employment and training simultaneously. SBCTCC notes that,
as a result, these subsidies often fail to connect participants to
pathways to well-paying middle class careers in construction. They
assert that this bill will establish critical connections with
apprenticeship programs and other labor-management training
partnerships in growth sectors in order to make the most of taxpayer
investment in workforce development.
Please see policy committee analysis for existing federal and state
law, as well as, additional comments.
Analysis Prepared by : Shannon McKinley / L. & E. / (916) 319-2091
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