bill letting the Texas Workforce Commission certify apprenticeships

The text as introduced · 854 words

89R11459 KSD-F

By: Dutton
H.B. No. 2800

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the apprenticeship system of adult career and

technology education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 61.8235(a), Education Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) The board, with the assistance of institutions of higher

education, career and technical education experts, and college and

career readiness experts, shall establish alignment between the

college and career readiness standards and the knowledge, skills,

and abilities students are expected to demonstrate in career and

technical education by establishing programs of study that:

(1) incorporate rigorous college and career readiness

standards, including career and technical education standards that

address both academic and technical content;

(2) support attainment of employability and career

readiness skills;

(3) progress in content specificity by beginning with

all aspects of an industry or career cluster and leading to more

occupationally specific instruction or by preparing students for

ongoing postsecondary career preparation;

(4) incorporate multiple entry and exit points with

portable demonstrations of technical or career competency, which

may include credit transfer agreements or industry-recognized

certifications; and

(5) culminate in the attainment of:

(A) an industry-recognized certification,

credential, or license;

(B) a registered apprenticeship ;

(C) an apprenticeship certified by the Texas

Workforce Commission as an industry-recognized apprenticeship

program as provided by commission rule;

(D) a [ or ] credit-bearing postsecondary

certificate; or

(E) [ (C) ] an associate or baccalaureate degree.

SECTION 2. Section 133.001(1), Education Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(1) "Apprenticeship training program" means a

training program that provides on-the-job training, preparatory

instruction, supplementary instruction, or related instruction in

a trade that has been :

(A) certified as an apprenticeable occupation by

the Office of Apprenticeship ; or

(B) recognized as an apprenticeable occupation

by the commission as provided by commission rule .

SECTION 3. Sections 133.002(d) and (h), Education Code, are

amended to read as follows:

(d) Each apprentice participating in a program must be given

a written apprenticeship agreement by the apprenticeship committee

stating the standards and conditions of the apprentice's employment

and training. The standards must conform substantially with the

standards of apprenticeship for the particular trade which have

been adopted by the Office of Apprenticeship or by the commission by

rule .

(h) A program must be :

(1) registered with the Office of Apprenticeship and

approved by the commission ; or

(2) certified by the commission as an

industry-recognized apprenticeship program as provided by

commission rule .

SECTION 4. Chapter 133, Education Code, is amended by

adding Sections 133.0025 and 133.0065 to read as follows:

Sec. 133.0025. PRE-APPRENTICESHIPS FOR CERTAIN HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS. The commission by rule shall establish procedures and

standards by which the commission may allocate funds available for

the support of apprenticeship training programs under this chapter

to support pre-apprenticeships designed for high school students

enrolled in career and technical education programs of study

leading to employment in high-wage, high-demand occupations. The

standards must:

(1) be developed in coordination with the Texas

Education Agency or Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and

(2) ensure that any committee overseeing a

pre-apprenticeship:

(A) excludes from its membership any bargaining

agent representing apprenticeable occupations certified by the

Office of Apprenticeship;

(B) includes at least one member who is a

representative of a community-based organization that demonstrates

evidence of success in coordinating and managing job placement

services for at least one industry served by the committee; and

(C) maintains, as a majority of the committee's

membership, members who represent employers.

Sec. 133.0065. PUBLICATION OF WAGE OUTCOMES. The

commission shall publish on the commission's Internet website and

include in the unified repository for education and workforce data

developed under Section 2308A.005, Government Code, wage outcome

data for apprentices who complete an apprenticeship training

program.

SECTION 5. Section 133.007, Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 133.007. RULES. The commission shall adopt

[ promulgate ] rules necessary to implement the provisions of this

chapter , including rules establishing:

(1) which occupations are recognized by the commission

as an apprenticeable occupation, based on criteria which must

include that the occupation:

(A) be a high-wage, high-demand occupation;

(B) be customarily learned in a practical way

through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised

training;

(C) be clearly identified and commonly

recognized throughout an industry;

(D) involve manual, mechanical, or technical

skills or knowledge which requires significant on-the-job work

experience; and

(E) require related instruction to supplement

the on-the-job training;

(2) standards of apprenticeship for particular

trades; and

(3) a process for and the criteria by which the

commission may certify a training or apprenticeship program as an

industry-recognized apprenticeship program, which must include:

(A) a requirement that the training or program

lead to employment in a high-wage, high-demand occupation; and

(B) criteria generally consistent with the

standards of apprenticeship as determined by the commission .

SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date

of this Act, the Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt the rules

required by Chapter 133, Education Code, as amended by this Act.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.