BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Senator Tony Mendoza, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2288 Hearing Date: June 8,
2016
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|Author: |Burke |
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|Version: |February 18, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Alma Perez-Schwab |
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Subject: Apprenticeship programs: building and construction
trades
KEY ISSUES
Should the Legislature require that state programs and services
funded by federal workforce development money include outreach
and retention plans to increase the percentage of women in the
building and construction trades?
Should the Legislature require that the state ensure that
pre-apprenticeship training in the building and construction
trades follows a specific curriculum developed by the Department
of Education?
ANALYSIS
Existing law:
1) Establishes the California Workforce Development Board
(State Board) with the responsibility of assisting the
Governor in the development, oversight, and continuous
improvement of California's workforce investment system.
(Unemployment Insurance Code §14000 et al)
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2) Requires that the State Board and each local workforce
development board ensure that programs and services funded
by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of
2014 (WIOA) and directed to apprenticeable occupations are
conducted in coordination with apprenticeship programs
approved by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, as
specified. (Unemployment Insurance Code §14230)
3) Requires the State Board and each local workforce
development board to develop a policy of fostering
collaboration between community colleges and approved
apprenticeship programs in the geographic area.
This Bill enacts additional provisions related to
pre-apprenticeship programs in the building and construction
trades. Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires the California Workforce Development Board and
each local board to ensure, to the maximum extent feasible,
that programs and services funded by WIOA and directed to
apprenticeable occupations in the building and construction
trades, including pre-apprenticeship training, include
outreach and retention plans to increase the percentage of
women in the building and construction trades.
2) Requires the State Board and each local board to also
ensure, to the maximum extent feasible, that
pre-apprenticeship training in the building and
construction trades follows the Multi-Craft Core Curriculum
developed by the Department of Education for its pilot
project with California Partnership Academies.
COMMENTS
1. Background on Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship Programs:
The Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS), within the
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Department of Industrial Relations, administers the state's
apprenticeship laws and enforces apprenticeship standards for
wages, hours, working conditions and the specific skills
required for state certification as a journey person in an
apprenticeable occupation. In general, apprenticeship programs
provide instruction that combines a formal course of in-class
instruction with practical "on-the-job" training.
Pre-apprenticeship services and programs are designed to
prepare individuals to enter and succeed in registered
apprenticeship programs. These programs have a documented
partnership with at least one registered apprenticeship
program sponsor and together, they expand the participant's
career pathway opportunities with industry-based training
coupled with classroom instruction.
2. Women in the Trades and Need for this bill:
Historically, a construction career has not been a traditional
choice for women when deciding what type of career to pursue
after high school, and exposure to different career options
like those in the building and construction trades can be
critical in opening the door to new choices and solid, living
wage jobs. According to the sponsor of this legislation, the
State Building and Construction Trades Council, recruiting
women into non-traditional careers like the construction
trades has been a full time effort. They note that the state
and its unions invest a great amount of time and resources
working on ways to encourage women to consider a career in
construction. The sponsors founded and have held the "Women in
the Building Trades Conference" for over 14 years attracting
over 1,000 women each year from all over the nation and other
countries.
According to the DAS 2014 annual report, California continues
to lead the nation with 53,366 apprentices registered in over
540 programs recognized by DAS. Minorities numbered 30,365, or
56.9% of all apprentices. Active women apprentices numbered
2,852, or 5.3% of all active apprentices. The author and
sponsor believe this bill is necessary to help promote women
in the trades by requiring that programs and services funded
by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of
2014 and directed to apprenticeable occupations in the
building and construction trades include plans to increase the
percentage of women in those trades.
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3. Multi-Core Craft Curriculum and Need for this bill:
According to information provided by the sponsor, the
Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) was developed in 2007 by the
leaders of National Building Trades to identify common
elements in all building and construction trades'
apprenticeship programs and combine them into one curriculum
encompassing 120 hours of training. Among other things, the
curriculum includes general orientation to apprenticeships,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid, an Occupational
Safety and Health Administration 10-hour certification course,
mathematics, and the history of the construction industry and
the heritage of the American worker. It also exposes students
to the tools of the various trades, the safe handling of those
tools, the structure of the construction industry, the
construction process, and an orientation to apprenticeship
itself.
Currently, as part of State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Tom Torlakson's Career Readiness Campaign, nine
California Partnership Academy high schools from across the
state have implemented this curriculum to ensure students are
engaged in their educational experience and to prepare them
for a successful career outside of the classroom. An August
2014 press release from the California Department of Education
states:
"Staff from the California Department of Education worked
with members of the California Labor Federation, North
America's Building Trades Unions, and the State Building &
Construction Trades Council of California to create the MC3
program in California Partnership Academies (CPA). A CPA is
three-year high school program structured as a
school-within-a-school. Academies integrate academic and
career technical education, business partnerships,
mentoring, and internships designed to give students
hands-on learning experiences. CPAs serve students at risk
of dropping out, whose schools rank below average on the
state's Academic Performance Index. The successful program
has resulted in a 95 percent graduation rate among CPA
students.
Nine career technical education teachers in the pilot
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project CPAs have received training from their partner
industry professionals and earned certifications to teach
the MC3 program. Teachers will now design lessons to assure
students are prepared for each succeeding step, ultimately
building up to a "capstone" course. The capstone course
prepares students for a pre-apprenticeship position in the
construction trade industries or for further training in
college or certification programs.
Students are recruited to participate in CPAs in ninth
grade and begin this coursework in tenth grade. In each
year, students will learn their regular rigorous
coursework, such as social studies, and English language
arts and mathematics aligned with the Common Core State
Standards and the Career Technical Education Model
Curriculum Standards, as well as a career technical
education course aligned with the MC3. The coursework will
be designed to help students understand the connection
between what they learn in school and what they will need
to know for careers. The coursework will also meet the
"A-G" requirements for entry into college. Successful
students will receive a Certificate of Completion from the
North America's Building Trades Unions, which is a national
industry certification.
The author and the sponsors argue that the MC3 curriculum
provides a gateway to postsecondary education and careers in
any of the building and construction trades from high school
or community college to joint industry registered
apprenticeships. Therefore, this bill requires that the State
Board and each local board ensure that pre-apprenticeship
training in the building and construction trades use the MC3.
4. Proponent Arguments :
Proponents argue that this bill will expand on current efforts
to support women in the trades by requiring that
pre-apprenticeship programs funded by WIOA dollars create a
plan for outreach, recruitment and retention of women seeking
a career in the building trades. In addition, because
pre-apprenticeship is a useful tool to prepare prospective
workers for an apprenticeship program, this bill creates
uniform rules for success in pre-apprenticeship training. They
argue that the two parts of this bill each in different ways
help ensure that the building and construction trades are as
representative of society as possible.
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5. Opponent Arguments :
Opposition to this measure stems from the inclusion of the
provision requiring the use of the MC3 curriculum which, they
argue, essentially mandates that all apprenticeship programs
use a very outdated union created curriculum for
pre-apprenticeship purposes, and one that can only be
delivered by a local Building Trades Council. They argue that
there are other pre-apprentice training programs and other
nationally recognized standards that need to be given equal
treatment as basis for program curricula.
According to ABC, the federal Department of Labor has approved
curricula currently used by the national pre apprenticeship
program, YouthBuild, which includes the AFLCIO Building
Construction Trades Multi-Craft Core Curriculum, the Home
Builders Institute's (HBI) PACT curriculum, and the National
Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)
curriculum. They argue that all programs are able to choose
from one of these curriculums and they believe that California
should mirror this approach and not exclude opportunities for
youth looking for a good career in construction trades by
using only one union-centric based curriculum.
SUPPORT
State Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO
(Sponsor)
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
American Association of University Women
California Asset Building Coalition
California Child Care Resource and Referral Network
California Domestic Workers Coalition
California Employment Lawyers Association
California Latinas for Reproductive Justice
California Partnership
California State Association of Electrical Workers
California State Pipe Trades Council
California Women's Law Center
California Work and Family Coalition
Child Care Law Center
Courage Campaign
Equal Rights Advocates
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International Union of Elevator Constructors
Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center
Mujeres Unidas y Activas
National Council of Jewish Women
Parent Voices
Raising California Together
The Center for Popular Democracy
The Opportunity Institute
The Women's Foundation of California
Tradeswomen, Inc.
Voices for Progress
Western Center on Law and Poverty
Western States Council of Sheet Metal Workers
9 to 5 California
OPPOSITION
Air Conditioning Trade Association
American Fire Sprinkler Association
Associated Builders and Contractors - San Diego Chapter
Associated Builders and Contractors of California
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association of California
Western Electrical Contractors Association
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