BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 848
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 4, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
Sandre Swanson, Chair
AB 848 (Campos) - As Amended: March 31, 2011
SUBJECT : Apprenticeship programs.
SUMMARY : This bill will require high schools, school
districts, community colleges and other specified entities that
receive reimbursements from apprenticeship instruction programs,
to report annually, to the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) or the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges
(Chancellor), information about the success of the students who
participate in apprenticeship programs. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the SPI or Chancellor, whichever is appropriate, to
require recipients of related and supplemental instructions
funding to report annually, prior to receiving reimbursement,
information concerning the following:
a) The number and percentage of apprentices who have
received postsecondary educational credit;
b) The amount of credit earned; and,
c) The number and percentage of apprentice graduates who
have completed a postsecondary degree.
2)Requires the SPI or Chancellor, whichever is appropriate, to
determine the format in which the annual report will covey
pupil progress toward degree completion for each participating
institution.
3)Requires the SPI or Chancellor, whichever is appropriate, to,
upon request, provide the information obtained in this annual
report the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS).
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires sponsors of apprenticeship programs to reimburse
local education agencies (LEAs) for all excess cost incurred
by the LEAs for students who attend apprenticeship classes.
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2)Requires the SPI or Chancellor, whichever is appropriate, to
reimburse LEAs for attendance of apprentices enrolled in any
class maintained by high schools, unified school districts,
regional occupational centers or programs, community colleges
and adult schools.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : According to the author, there is currently no data
provided to DAS on the number of community colleges that offer
credit for apprenticeship programs. As a result, DAS is unable
to advise apprentices about existing opportunity to purse a
postsecondary education during their apprentice training. The
author states that this bill is the critical first step in
identifying the nature in which each community college district
provides credit for apprenticeship. The author notes that the
information collected by this process will be assessed by the
state and apprenticeship stakeholders and thereby allow
improvements and uniformity in postsecondary credit allocation.
According to DAS, apprenticeship is a system of learning while
earning, and "learning by doing." DAS notes that apprenticeship
programs combine training on the job with related and
supplemental instruction at school. Each program operates under
apprenticeship training standards agreed to by labor and/or
management in accordance with State and Federal laws, under
which a person 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. In 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.
In addition to training, DAS states that apprentices attend
classes to receive technical instruction related to their field.
This training usually takes place in a public school and often
in a community college setting. According to DAS, the
instruction is meant to supplement the apprentices' on the job
training and give apprentices a comprehensive understanding of
the theoretical aspects of their work. Upon successful
completion of training and related classes, apprentices are
issued a "Certificate of Completion" by the State of California.
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California Department of Education
According to the California Department of Education (CDE),
supports related and supplementary instruction (RSI) in 35
regional occupational centers and programs (ROCP) and adult
education programs (local education agencies) with over 200
apprenticeship programs supporting over 40,000 registered
apprentices. CDE states that local education agencies
individually contract with program sponsors providing
educational leadership in the provision of RSI. According to
CDE, their apprenticeship RSI funding is provided through the
state's annual budget act. CDE notes that funds are appropriated
to local education agencies through the principal apportionment
system based on the actual number of hours in RSI coursework.
CDE states that each local education agency is capped on the
number of hours of instruction it can claim for reimbursement.
According to the California Community College Chancellor's
Office (Chancellor's Office) many employers partner with the
California Community Colleges or with the California Department
of Education's Regional Occupational Programs and Centers and
Adult Schools to provide apprenticeship training to their
employees. The Chancellor's Office notes that the state's
community colleges have approximately 25,000 apprentices
enrolled in over 160 apprenticeship programs comprised of a
total of 66 trades and crafts titles located on 39 campuses.
Apprentices receive employer selected RSI during evening or
weekend classes and many of the RSI apprenticeship programs can
lead to a certificate or an Associate of Arts or Associate of
Science through programs that are approximately to five years in
length.
The Chancellor's Office notes that the 2009-2010 California
Budget Act provided $7,174,000 for the apprenticeship RSI.
Based on a mutually agreed on contract, a given employer/program
sponsor and the community college district share funding for the
total number of clock hours the apprentices attended the RSI
instruction. According to the Chancellor's Office, all RSI
apprenticeship programs offered by the state's community
colleges must be approved by the Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges, and DAS.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT :
In a letter expressing sponsorship of this bill, the State
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Building and Construction Trades Council of California (SBCTCC)
states that credit allocation for apprenticeship programs varies
among community college districts and between community college
campuses. SBCTCC asserts that this bill will help identify how
community colleges allocate credit for RIS and help provide more
uniformity among districts and between campuses.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION :
The Associated Builders and Contractors of California (ABC)
opposes this bill, arguing that statistics such as these are
already reported to the Division of Apprenticeship Standards
(DAS). Information sought by this measure can already be
generated by contacting the DAS and asking for program
graduation statistics. As a result, ABC believes that this bill
adds an unnecessary new cost for gathering information that is
already accessible.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
State Building and Construction Trades Council of California
(Sponsor)
Opposition
Associated Builders and Contractors of California
Analysis Prepared by : Shannon McKinley / L. & E. / (916)
319-2091