BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                       



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                   SB 747|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  SB 747
          Author:   Romero (D)
          Amended:  5/28/09
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  9-0, 4/29/09
          AYES:  Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado,  
            Padilla, Simitian, Wyland

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  12-0, 5/28/09
          AYES:  Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Denham, DeSaulnier, Hancock,  
            Leno, Oropeza, Runner, Walters, Wyland, Yee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Wolk


           SUBJECT  :    Career technical education:  pilot  
          preapprenticeship program

           SOURCE  :     California Manufacturers & Technology  
          Association


           DIGEST  :    This bill establishes a pilot preapprenticeship  
          program, to be implemented by the California Community  
          Colleges for the purpose of preparing high school pupils to  
          work in the aerospace industry, as specified.  

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law establishes various career  
          technical education (CTE) programs for public schools  
          including but not limited to regional occupational centers  
          and programs (ROC/P), partnership academies, adult  
          education programs, and career technical education courses  
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          that may be offered in secondary schools and community  
          colleges.  

          The State Board of Education adopted model curriculum  
          standards for CTE in May 2005, and adopted the curriculum  
          frameworks for those standards in January 2007.  The  
          standards are organized in 15 industry sectors of  
          interrelated occupations and broad industries, and identify  
          the academic and technical courses required for various  
          pathways within each sector.  

          Existing federal law, the American Recovery and  
          Reinvestment Act of 2009, provides approximately $100  
          billion for education across states to raise student  
          achievement through school improvement and reform.  

          Existing law, the Shelley-Maloney Apprentice Labor  
          Standards Act of 1939 established the California  
          Apprenticeship Council (CAC) and governs apprenticeship  
          programs in California.  The California Division of  
          Apprenticeship Standards certifies apprenticeship programs  
          in accordance with standards set by the CAC and state and  
          federal laws.  
           
           This bill:

          1. Establishes a pilot preapprenticeship aerospace  
             machining program to provide career technical education  
             to high school pupils in the form of machining and  
             related curriculum that can be applied to various  
             manufacturing industries in California including  
             aerospace manufacturing and requires the curriculum to  
             include the use of computers, training in the machining  
             of light metals as specified, and training in the  
             fabrication of energy efficient aircraft ventilation,  
             heating and cooling systems.  

          2. Specifies the program shall be funded by a combination  
             of private nonprofit and public funds, specifically  
             federal funds made available to states as part of the  
             American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and  
             creates the Machinist Investment Fund for that purpose.   









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          3. Requires the pilot program and Machinist Investment Fund  
             be administered by the Labor and Workforce Development  
             Agency.

          4. Requires community colleges, in partnership with local  
             workforce investment boards, employers, and high schools  
             to apply for grants that shall be competitively awarded  
             based on specified criteria.  

          5. Requires the California Community Colleges system to  
             implement the program, develop preapprenticeship  
             curriculum in aerospace technology, and machining  
             technology.  

          6. Requires the California Community Colleges to identify  
             appropriate community college campuses for  
             implementation of the program based on specified  
             criteria such as proximity to aerospace and other  
             manufacturers, availability of sufficient in-house  
             expertise and laboratory facilities to teach the  
             required curriculum.  

          7. Requires community college campuses selected for receipt  
             of a competitive grant, in consultation with area high  
             schools, to identify the location at which instruction  
             shall occur.  

          8. Specifies the program shall remain in effect until  
             January 1, 2015, unless deletes or extends that date.  

          9. Specifies that implementation of the pilot program  
             established by this section shall be contingent upon  
             receipt of sufficient federal funding.

          10.Specifies that nothing in this bill is to be construed  
             to impose a mandate on local workforce investment boards  
             with regard to how they will spend Workforce Investment  
             Act funds, including funds made available to them  
             through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

          11.States it is the intent of the Legislature that the  
             pilot program established by this section shall have as  
             its goal the development of an industry-based sector  
             strategy to address labor needs in the manufacturing  







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             industry generally and in the aerospace industry in  
             particular, specifically the need for trained  
             machinists, and that the Labor and Workforce Development  
             Agency shall focus on efforts to assist in this  
             strategy.

          12.Encourages the California Workforce Investment Board, in  
             collaboration with local workforce investment boards,  
             industry, and community colleges, to seek and apply for  
             funds for related industry-based sector strategies.

           Comments
           
           Purpose and design  .  According to the author's office, the  
          purpose of this bill is to establish a CTE program that  
          will keep at risk pupils in school while preparing them for  
          entry-level positions with local aerospace or manufacturing  
          employers who may offer apprenticeship programs.  Although  
          districts can already provide similar training programs  
          through ROC/P and/or partnership academies, the pilot  
          program proposed by this bill appears to be outside those  
          existing program structures.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes    
          Local:  No

           SUPPORT  :   (Verified  5/29/09)

          California Manufacturers & Technology Association (source)
          Aerojet Corporation
          Alcoa Fastening Systems
          Allfast Fastening Systems, Inc.
          Boeing
          California Conference of Machinists
          California Space Authority
          California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
          Engineers & Scientists of California, IFPTE Local 20
          Nelson Aerospace, Inc.
          Professional and Technical Engineers, IFPTE Local 21
          Saturn Fasteners, Inc.
          Silicon Valley Leadership Group
          Sonic Industries, Inc. 
          State Building and Construction Trades Council of  
          California







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          United Teachers of Los Angeles

           ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The bill's sponsor, California  
          Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA), states:   
          "Due to an ongoing increase in the retirement of the baby  
          boomer generation, the manufacturing industry is facing a  
          significant demand for a skilled workforce.  Many of our  
          member companies are finding it difficult to find qualified  
          machinists, engineers and other manufacturing works.  CMTA  
          members want to continue providing high wage jobs to  
          students who reach their highest educational goals and are  
          well prepared to join the manufacturing workforce. ?  
          Unfortunately, over the past twenty years public schools  
          have suffered a steady erosion of their career technical  
          programs.  In fact a recent study revealed that in 1987  
          California had 6,922 CTE teachers serving 952,097 students.  
           By 2008 there were only 4,883 teachers serving 589,233  
          students enrolled in CTE courses.  Many of the job openings  
          today call for less than a bachelor's degree, but require a  
          rigorous curriculum that includes core academics and  
          applied learning opportunities.  SB 747's pilot program  
          strives to achieve this balance of academics and applied  
          learning through collaborative efforts between high schools  
          and community colleges."  They believe that this bill will  
          advance this industry sector strategy for addressing  
          current and future labor needs, as well as provide career  
          paths for potential employees in the manufacturing  
          industry.  They see this bill as the first step toward  
          addressing this workforce shortage and reinvigorating CTE  
          at the high school level.


          DLW:mw  5/29/09   Senate Floor Analyses 

                         SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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