BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
2105 (Rodriguez)
As Amended August 10, 2016
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |79-0 |(May 5, 2016) |SENATE: |37-0 |(August 15, |
| | | | | |2016) |
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Original Committee Reference: J., E.D., & E.
SUMMARY: Requires the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) to
engage in a specified stakeholder process to update policies and
remove barriers to facilitate the development of earn and learn
training programs in the allied health professions. The
stakeholder process is required to include all of the following:
1)A range of allied health workforce stakeholders including, but
not limited to, relevant DCA licensure boards, the Division of
Apprenticeship, representatives appointed by the board the
California community college system, the California Workforce
Development Board (CWDB), the State Department of Public
Health, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development, employer and worker representatives, and
community-based organizations.
2)A review of barriers that limit the use of earn and learn
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training programs in the allied health professions, including
those identified in the 2015 report Expanding Earn and Learn
Models in the California Health Care Industry, as well as
other relevant issues that include, but are not limited to,
pre-licensure classifications in allied health occupations
that would allow students, in a supervised setting, to gain
experience in their chosen field before obtaining licensure,
and the payment of wages while in a workplace-based training
program.
3)Statutory barriers being shared with the relevant committees
of the Legislature.
4)Completion of the process by January 1, 2020.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY, this bill required the California
Workforce Development Board (CWD) to consider the
recommendations in a specified report on "earn and learn" job
training programs in the allied health professions for the
purpose of determining whether any or all of the recommendations
should be included within the CWD's work plan for the 2017-18
fiscal year or referred to another state entity for possible
action.
The Senate amendments delete the more general requirement to
move forward on reviewing and implementing, where appropriate,
the recommendations from the 2015 report Expanding Earn and
Learn Models in the California Health Care Industry, and instead
provide a specific stakeholder driven process for updating
policies and removing entrance and advancement barriers in the
allied health fields.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires the CWD, in consultation with the Division of
Apprenticeship Standards, to undertake a review of allied
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health professions and produce a report by January 1, 2016.
The report is required to address the following:
a) Identification of "earn and learn" job training
opportunities that meet the industry's workforce demands
and that are in high-wage, high-demand jobs;
b) Identification of specific requirements and
qualifications for entry into "earn and learn" job training
models;
c) Establishment of standards for "earn and learn" job
training programs that are outcome oriented and
accountable. The standards are required to measure the
results from program participation, including a measurement
of how many individuals complete the program with an
industry-recognized credential, as specified;
d) Development of the means to identify and prepare a pool
of qualified candidates seeking to enter "earn and learn"
job training models.
1)Defines "earn and learn" to include, but not be limited to, a
program that does either of the following:
a) Combines applied learning in a workplace setting with
compensation allowing workers or students to gain work
experience and secure a wage as they develop skills and
competencies directly relevant to the occupation or career
for which they are preparing; or
b) Brings together classroom instruction with on-the-job
training to combine both formal instruction and actual paid
work experience.
2)Defines "earn and learn" programs to include, but not be
limited to, all of the following:
a) Apprenticeships;
b) Pre-apprenticeships;
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c) Incumbent worker training;
d) Transitional and subsidized employment, particularly for
individuals with barriers to employment;
e) Paid internships and externships; and
f) Project-based compensated learning.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to Senate Appropriations Committee
pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS: In December 2015, the CWDB and the California State
Division of Apprenticeship Standards released the study,
Expanding Earn and Learn Models in the California Health Care
Industry, pursuant to the requirements of AB 1797 (Rodriguez),
Chapter 157, Statutes of 2014. The report noted that while
there were many advantages to expanding apprenticeship programs
in the allied health industries, there were also barriers,
including, but not limited to, the following:
1)No clear career ladders for entry-level workers to advance
into clinical roles, or for lateral movement from one health
care role into another;
2)Few residency programs or even commitments to hire prior to
completion of the license or credential;
3)Misalignment of time-based standards used for registered
apprenticeships and the competency-based training models
commonly used in health care fields;
4)No funding available for public health care employers to
invest in program development, outreach, administration (e.g.,
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record-keeping and journey-level supervision of apprentices),
or, more fundamentally, the industry model of wage
progression;
5)Limited flexibility or agility by public education
institutions to adopt and implement new curricula. As an
example, it can take more than a year to approve new curricula
by a community college and longer if an existing course must
be modified to include apprenticeship indicators;
6)Licensing boards have traditionally acted as gatekeepers to
their professions and have not been open to expanding entry
into some of the skilled health care professions for fear of
diminishing wages. There is also evidence that accreditation
boards can be reluctant to create flexible or alternative
pathways to entry over concerns that this will lower quality
standards;
7)Misaligned funding incentives for community college
participation. In this example, the reimbursement rate for a
general education credit is approximately $8.50 per hour, as
compared to $5.46 per hour for students taking apprenticeship
classes. This creates a structural disincentive for colleges
to partner with employers and unions on allied health-related
programs;
8)Poor track record in maintaining funding levels for public
apprenticeship programs. Funding issues may be deterring
potential employers and partners from participating in a new
round of program development; and
9)Lack of cross-sector collaboration on the development of new
apprenticeship programs, especially from the federal entities
which administer the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
California Employment: California's labor force is comprised of
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approximately 19 million people with an estimated 17.8 million
people being employed. Chart 1 shows 2015 employment by
industry sector. Based on total employment, the trade,
transportation, and utilities sector is largest, employing 2.9
million people, which is 15.5% of all jobs. The Education and
Health Services sector is the third highest industry sector in
California, representing 12.9% of the state's workforce.
Chart 2 displays projected job growth by industry sectors for
the period of 2012 to 2022. As discussed in more detail below,
future growth of the California economy is highly linked to the
state's adaptation to globalization, including the state's
ability to link goods and services across state and regional
boundaries, as well as to prepare a rapidly changing workforce
for the 21st Century economy.
The Employment Development Department's (EDD's) 2012 to 2022
forecast estimates that California's labor force employment will
reach 18.7 million, including self-employment, unpaid family
workers, private household workers, and farm and nonfarm
workers. This estimate represents a 14.9% increase over the 10
year period with an additional 2,296,700 being added to nonfarm
employment. As shown in Chart 2, 72% of the increase in jobs is
expected in four industry sectors: education and health care
services; professional and business services; leisure and
hospitality; and retail trade.
Approximately 25% of the project job growth will be in the
educational services (private), health care, and social
assistance sector, accounting for 576,300 jobs during the
10-year period. EDD estimates that as the population grows and
demographics change, the demand for workers in this sector will
remain high.
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The greatest concentration of job gains is projected to occur in
the following subsectors: Social assistance (201,300);
Ambulatory health care services (181,900); Educational services
(private) (79,200).
Analysis Prepared by:
Toni Symonds / J., E.D., & E. / (916) 319-2090
FN:
0003973