Background: Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs and Skill Centers. CTE programs are planned programs of courses and learning experiences offered by high schools in partnership with skill centers. Every school district offers some CTE program services. CTE programs are overseen by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). 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 Programs. 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: Alliance for Student Success in Education and Training (ASSET) Program. Subject to funding appropriated by the Legislature, the ASSET program is created, to be administered by the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Board). The ASSET program's purpose is to: increase connections to work-integrated learning opportunities, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM); and to provide a forum 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 programs.

The Board must collaborate 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 campaign encouraging employers, schools, and parents to offer and use work-integrated learning opportunities; develop a web-based system that matches schools and students with employers offering work-integrated learning opportunities; and designate workforce development councils to regionally coordinate the ASSET program through a competitive application process.

Regional Coordinators. Regional program coordinators must serve as a point of contact to coordinate the ASSET program. Additionally, the coordinators must collaborate with business and labor organizations to: actively recruit employers to provide work-integrated learning opportunities, particularly in 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 Board.

Dropout Re-engagement Program Grants. Subject to appropriated funds, OSPI must allocate grants to at least two high schools and one skill center to each implement a dropout re-engagement program that prepares participants for entry into high-demand occupations. OSPI must establish guidelines and criteria for the grant application process and administration of the grant program. Grant recipients must: adhere to principles established by the CTE program focused on at-risk secondary youth; target enrollment to youth under 19 years of age who are not currently 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 OSPI.

Annual Report. OSPI must produce an annual report summarizing student participation and outcomes, beginning in December 2014. The report must be submitted to the Legislature and the Governor.