Background:

CTE Programs and Skill Centers.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are planned programs of courses and learning experiences offered by high schools in partnership with skill centers. Every school district offers some of the CTE program services. The CTE programs are overseen by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). The CTE programs offer work-based learning activities such as internships, career mentors, job shadowing, and field trips to worksites.

A skill center is a regional CTE partnership operated by a host school district. Skill centers provide access to industry-defined career and technical programs of study that prepare students for careers, employment, apprenticeships, and postsecondary education. Skill centers may enter into agreements with high schools to provide high school completion programs, and with community and technical colleges to provide industry certification and credentialing.

Dropout Re-engagement System.

There is a statewide dropout re-engagement system that provides education and services to older youth who have dropped out of school or are not expected to graduate from high school by the age of 21. Under the system, school districts may enter into inter-local agreements with other educational entities, such as community and technical colleges, to provide a dropout re-engagement program for eligible students. Dropout re-engagement programs offer services such as academic instruction, General Educational Development (GED) preparation, and college and work readiness preparation.

Summary of Bill:

ASSET Program.

Subject to appropriated funds, the Alliance for Student Success in Education and Training (ASSET) Program is created, to be administered by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board). The purpose of the ASSET Program is to: (1) increase connections to work-integrated learning opportunities, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and (2) provide forums in local communities to exchange ideas and expertise among local businesses, labor organizations, public schools, apprenticeship councils, and institutions of higher education.

"Work-integrated learning opportunities" include paid and unpaid internships and work experience, simulated or virtual workplace experiences, youth apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, advising and mentoring, worksite visits, and job shadowing.

The Workforce Board must work in collaboration with business and labor organizations and state education and workforce agencies to:

develop technical assistance materials to assist employers and schools regarding work-integrated learning opportunities;
conduct a statewide communications campaign encouraging employers, schools, and parents to offer and use work-integrated learning opportunities;
develop a web-based matching system accessible to schools and students where employers can post work-integrated learning opportunities; and
designate workforce development councils as regional coordinators for the ASSET Program through a competitive application process.

Regional program coordinators must act as a single point of contact for local coordination and create opportunities for successful grant seeking. Coordinators must also:

collaborate with business and labor organizations to actively recruit employers to provide work-integrated learning opportunities, particularly in the STEM fields;
work with public schools, institutions of higher education, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, and workforce training programs to develop internship, mentoring, and advising opportunities for public school students;
encourage the use of the web-based matching system; and
report data to the Workforce Board.

The Workforce Board must develop a performance monitoring system and track outcomes of the ASSET Program. The Workforce Board must submit an annual performance report to the Legislature and the Governor by December 2014.

Dropout Re-engagement Program Grants.

Subject to appropriated funds, the OSPI must allocate grants to at least two high schools and one skill center to each implement a dropout re-engagement program aligned with entry into high-demand occupations. The OSPI must establish guidelines and criteria for grant application and administration.

Grant recipients must:

adhere to principles established by the CTE program focused on at-risk secondary students;
target enrollment to youth under 19 years old who are not enrolled in high school and have not earned a high school diploma, or students currently enrolled who are highly likely to exit high school without a diploma;
provide instruction for participants to earn a high school diploma or equivalent;
provide training for entry-level certification in high-demand employment in the STEM fields or manufacturing; and
collect and report data to the OSPI.

Beginning in December 2014 and each year afterwards, annual reports summarizing student participation and outcomes must be submitted to the Legislature and the Governor.