BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 618
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|Author: |Pavley |
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|Version: |February 27, 2015 Hearing Date: |
| | April 8, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lenin Del Castillo |
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Subject: Educational apprenticeships: grant program
SUMMARY
This bill would establish a competitive educational
apprenticeship program to be administered by the Superintendent
of Public Instruction, subject to funding being made available
in the annual Budget Act.
BACKGROUND
Existing law establishes apprenticeship training programs which
are comprehensive plans that contain, among other things,
apprenticeship program standards, program regulations, related
and supplemental instruction course outlines, and policy
statements for the effective administration of that
apprenticeship training program. State funds provided for
apprenticeships are appropriated to the Chancellor's Office of
the California Community Colleges (CCC) and passed through to
local education agencies that provide the instruction.
Apprenticeships are paid education work programs that pair adult
students with skilled workers for supervised, hands-on learning.
Apprenticeships programs are commonly sponsored by business or
labor unions that help design and support the programs. Program
sponsors must partner with a school district or community
college and be approved by the state's Division of
Apprenticeship Standards to qualify for related supplemental
instruction (RSI) funding. The CCC works closely with the
division and workforce partners to direct funds to high quality
apprenticeship programs meeting state standards. (Education
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Code § 79140 et. seq.)
Existing law establishes various career technical education
(CTE) programs for public schools including Regional
Occupational Center Programs (ROCP) that allow students from
multiple schools or districts to participate in career technical
training programs regardless of the geographical location of
their residence in a county or region. Existing law authorizes
the following types of ROCP operational models: county ROCP,
joint powers agency ROCP, and a single district ROCP.
(Education Code § 52301 et. seq.)
AB 86 (Committee on Budget), Chapter 48, Statutes of 2013,
created the California Career Pathways Trust which provided
one-time competitive grants to school districts, county
superintendents of school, charter schools, and community
college districts. The 2013 and 2014 budgets provided a total
of $500 million in Proposition 98 General Fund for K-14 career
pathways programs that accomplish the following:
1. Fund specialists in work-based learning, as defined in
Section 51760.1 of the Education Code, to convene, connect,
measure, or broker efforts to establish or enhance a
locally defined career pathways program that connects
school districts, county superintendents of schools,
charter schools, and community colleges with business
entities.
2. Establish regional collaborative relationships and
partnerships with business entities, community
organizations, and local institutions of postsecondary
education.
3. Develop and integrate standards-based academics with a
career-relevant, sequenced curriculum following
industry-themed pathways that are aligned to high-need,
high-growth, or emerging regional economic sectors.
4. Provide articulated pathways to postsecondary education
aligned with regional economies.
ANALYSIS
This bill establishes the Education Apprenticeship Grant
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Program. Specifically, this bill:
1. Provides that the purpose of the program is to assist in
the development of educational apprenticeship programs
throughout the state.
2. Requires program grants to be allocated by the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) on a competitive
basis, subject to funding being made available in the
annual Budget Act.
3. Requires both of the following criteria to be applied by
the SPI to determine the competitive value of an
application:
A. The apprenticeship program is new, and
provides an innovative curriculum for its pupils.
B. The apprenticeship program provides
opportunities for, and clear pathways to, gainful
employment in emerging industries that are relevant to
the local economy.
STAFF COMMENTS
1. Need for the bill. According to the author's office, youth
unemployment is one of the most serious challenges to
California's economic recovery. Job prospects are
especially dim for those who have not yet earned a college
degree, those who do not plan on going to college, or who
lack practical work experience. This lack of opportunity
holds young people back from fully participating in society
and can stunt professional and personal growth. The
author's office indicates that youth individuals need
opportunities to learn vital job skills and succeed
professionally and one of the most effective ways to equip
young people with professional skills is to support
educational apprenticeships as part of the school
curriculum.
2. Apprentices. According to the Legislative Analyst Office's
Proposition 98 Education Analysis for the 2015-16 Budget,
there are more than 50,000 apprentices in various trades.
Specifically, in early 2015, California had 53,413 active
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apprentices in 47 trades, ranging from glazing to motion
picture work. The most common apprenticeships are in the
construction trades, providing training for carpenters,
plumbers, and electricians. Apprenticeships in public
safety, primarily for correctional workers and
firefighters, are the second most common.
3. Status of funding. The 2014-15 Budget Act includes
approximately $22.9 million in Proposition 98 General for
apprenticeship related supplemental instruction (RSI). The
2015-16 Governor's Budget proposes to increase this amount
by $14 million, which would bring the total amount for
existing apprenticeships to about $37 million. This
increase is intended to restore apprenticeship slots to
their pre-recession level and raise the RSI rate from $5.04
to $5.46 to match the community college noncredit hourly
rate.
The 2015-16 Governor's Budget also proposes $15 million in
Proposition 98 General Fund to support the development of
apprenticeships in high-demand occupations, including
healthcare, advanced manufacturing, information technology,
and jobs in renewable energy. Unlike the existing
apprenticeship funds, the Governor's Budget proposes that
these funds be used for purposes other than reimbursing
providers for related supplemental instruction (RSI), such
as aligning coursework and conducting studies to determine
regional needs for apprentices. The Committee may wish to
consider whether the new grant program as proposed by this
measure is necessary given that it duplicates much of what
is proposed in the Governor's Budget.
4. Related and previous legislation.
SB 923 (Pavley, 2014) proposed to establish the Educational
Apprenticeship Innovation Act whereby competitive grants
would be awarded to applicant school districts, county
offices of education, charter schools, and community
colleges for purposes of promoting apprenticeships,
preapprenticeships, and career pathways. This bill was
vetoed with the following veto message:
This bill would create the Educational Apprenticeship
Innovation Prize (EdPrize), a competitive grant
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program that would be administered by the California
Department of Education to promote apprenticeship,
pre-apprenticeship and career pathways between local
schools, community colleges, and local businesses.
While the bill is intended to provide EdPrize
applicants special consideration under the California
Career Pathways Trust, it instead creates a new and
duplicative program that does not have an
appropriation.
I share the author's sentiments about the importance
of apprenticeship programs. The state has invested
$500 million dollars over the past two years to fund
the Career Pathways Trust. This investment of public
funds encourages partnerships between K-12 schools,
community colleges and the business community, and
includes apprenticeship programs. I strongly encourage
apprenticeship programs to apply for the $250 million
that is currently available.
Chapter 48, Statutes of 2013 (AB 86, Committee on Budget)
established the California Career Pathways Trust and
appropriated $250 million in one-time competitive grants
for its purposes.
Chapter 433, Statutes of 2012 (SB 1070, Steinberg)
established the Career Technical Education Pathways Program
to improve linkages and career technical education pathways
between high schools and community colleges.
SUPPORT
None received.
OPPOSITION
Small School Districts' Association
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