Relating to apprenticeships and other career training and making appropriations

The bill provides that an intermediary sponsor has the sole discretion for approving employer partners, as defined in the bill, provided that such employer partners are compliant with their responsibilities outlined in the intermediary sponsor’s standards. The bill prohibits the office from canceling, suspending, or deregistering an intermediary sponsor based on the actions of employer partners. The bill authorizes the office to require an intermediary sponsor to cancel or suspend an employer partner due to the employer partner’s material breach of responsibilities as outlined in the intermediary sponsor’s standards. The bill provides procedures for such cancellation or suspension including judicial review. The bill provides procedures and standards the office must follow when canceling, suspending, or deregistering an approved apprenticeship sponsor, intermediary sponsor, or lead apprenticeship sponsor. The bill provides that such action can only be carried out by the office due to a material breach of the requirements of Code chapter 84D. The bill also provides standards for judicial review of such action and procedures for reapplication for registration following such action. IOWA PLUMBER, MECHANICAL PROFESSIONAL, AND CONTRACTOR LICENSING ACT —— APPRENTICES. The bill provides that a licensed journeyperson or master under Code chapter 105, the Iowa plumber, mechanical professional, and contractor licensing Act, may employ or supervise licensed apprentices at a ratio not to exceed three apprentices to one licensee. The bill provides that certain statutory requirements relating to qualifications and other licensing matters do not apply to apprenticeship classroom training. IOWA APPRENTICESHIP ACT. The bill adds intermediary sponsors as a class of entities that may provide apprenticeship training and that are eligible for financial assistance from the department of workforce development under Code chapter 84E, the Iowa apprenticeship Act. The bill provides that an apprenticeship sponsor whose apprentices receive contact hours from a lead apprenticeship sponsor is not eligible for such financial assistance.5 million. CAREER TRAINING PHYSICAL EXPANSION PROGRAM —— FUNDING OF CERTAIN DEGREE PROGRAMS AT REGENTS INSTITUTIONS. The bill creates a career training physical expansion program to be administered by the department of workforce development. The purpose of the program is to provide financial assistance for the construction of new facilities that will expand the capacity of community colleges and unionized and nonunionized private sector apprenticeship programs to provide education and training for workers in high-demand fields in Iowa. The bill requires the department to establish eligibility requirements, award criteria, and application and other necessary procedures for the program. The bill specifies that to be eligible for financial assistance, a community college or apprenticeship program must demonstrate to the department that construction of the new facility will directly result in an increase in the number of workers in high-demand fields in this state by expanding the physical capacity of the community college or apprenticeship program to train more students or apprentices in such fields. The bill also specifies that projects to increase internet-based education or training shall be ineligible for financial assistance. The bill creates a career training physical expansion program fund under the control of the department. Moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department for the purposes of the program. DEPARTMENT-APPROVED TRAINING. Under current law, an individual is eligible for unemployment benefits for a week in which the individual is engaged in department-approved training. The bill prohibits the director of the department of workforce development from denying approval of training that otherwise qualifies for approval if the training is a part of an apprenticeship program registered with the United States department of labor, office of apprenticeship, or the Iowa office of apprenticeship; each training session lasts no longer than one week; an individual who files a claim for benefits for such training is limited to one week of such benefits in a 12-month period of time; and the training is not located at a worksite. APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. The bill encourages school boards to establish or expand quality pre-apprenticeship opportunities and youth apprenticeship programs at secondary schools in partnership with apprenticeship sponsors and the Iowa office of apprenticeship. The bill specifies activities school boards may pursue in furtherance of this goal relating to aligning existing coursework, establishing new coursework, and construction, improvement, or expansion of skilled trade extension centers, as well as partnering with apprenticeship sponsors to ensure curricula are industry-aligned so that coursework can be credited toward completion of an apprenticeship. The bill encourages school boards to establish a work-based learning coordinator at each secondary school to facilitate implementation of the bill and other pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and work-based learning at the school. The bill encourages school boards to pursue funding sources and in-kind contributions through private sector partnerships and from apprenticeship sponsors and nonprofit sources to implement the bill. The bill provides that it is the intent of the general assembly that school districts implement these provisions no later than the school year beginning July 1, 2028. HIGH-DEMAND JOBS AND SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY. The bill makes several changes to the duties of the workforce development board. Under current law, the board is required to create, and update as necessary, a list of high-demand jobs statewide. The bill requires the board to create and update the list at least once every five years. Further, under current law, the board has full discretion to select and prioritize statewide high-demand jobs. The bill requires that the board collaborate with community colleges when selecting and prioritizing such jobs. The bill also modifies one of the minimum criteria that must apply when identifying high-demand jobs by replacing the requirement for an entry-level hourly wage of not less than $14 with the requirement for a competitive entry-level hourly wage. The bill amends the definition of “eligible student” by amending the financial qualification requirement. Under current law, a student must have a student aid index of $20,000 or less at the time of initial application. The bill replaces this requirement with the requirement that an applicant meet financial need criteria established by the college student aid commission (commission). The bill adds a requirement that the commission define financial need by rule. Under current law, the commission, in collaboration with the departments of workforce development and education, is required to compile an annual report that includes the number of scholarship and grant recipients, program completions, participation by eligible institutions, volunteer mentor agreements, and statistics on employment outcomes for scholarship and grant program participants, and to submit the report to the governor and the general assembly annually by January 15. The bill replaces this requirement.228(1)(e)(6), thereby narrowing the commission’s statutory duty from producing a comprehensive report to transmitting the following data to the department of workforce development annually: data regarding the eligible program operated by the eligible institution, the students and volunteer mentors participating in the eligible program, scholarship recipient eligible program completion results, and statistics on employment outcomes for eligible program participants by industry. CAREER AND TECHNICAL SECONDARY AUTHORIZATIONS. The bill requires the board of educational examiners to limit qualifications for an applicant for a career and technical secondary authorization to 3,000 hours of recent and relevant experience and to limit training requirements for an initial authorization to ethics training.3.