Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Education Committee

HB 2685

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, to examine opportunities for promoting preapprenticeship opportunities for high school students and report to the Governor and the Legislature by November 1, 2018.

Background:

An apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training under the supervision of journey-level workers and requires a certain number of instructional hours, usually at a community or technical college. Apprenticeships can last from one to six years. During the apprenticeship, apprentices are paid lower wages than journey level workers.

The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (WSATC), which is part of the Department of Labor and Industries, establishes apprenticeship program standards, approves apprenticeship training programs, and otherwise governs the programs. Employers may partner with an approved apprenticeship program to offer apprenticeships, or develop its own apprenticeship program that is approved by the WSATC.

In 2017, there were about 160 active apprenticeship programs and over 16,000 active apprenticeships in Washington.

Apprenticeship preparation programs, also called preapprenticeship programs, are education-based programs that focus on educating and training students to meet or exceed minimum qualifications for entry into apprenticeship programs upon graduation. These programs must be endorsed by one or more registered apprenticeship sponsors, and must be approved by the WSATC.

Summary of Bill:

Subject to funding by the Legislature, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in consultation with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges and the WSATC, must examine opportunities for promoting preapprenticeship opportunities for high school students.

By November 1, 2018, the OSPI must solicit input from persons and organizations with an interest or relevant expertise in preapprenticeship programs, apprenticeship programs, or both, and provide a report to the Governor and Legislature that includes recommendations for:

improving alignment between college level vocational courses at institutions of higher education and high school curriculum and graduation requirements, including High School and Beyond Plans. These recommendations may include the development or revision of career and technical education course equivalencies for college level vocational courses successfully completed by a student while in high school and taken at an institution of higher education;

identifying and removing barriers that prevent the wider exploration and use of preapprenticeship opportunities by high school students and apprenticeship opportunities by graduating secondary students; and
increasing awareness among teachers, counselors, students, parents, principals, school administrators, and the public about the opportunities offered by preapprenticeship and apprenticeship programs.

"Institution of higher education" is defined to mean community or technical colleges, public tribal colleges, and Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Washington State University, and The Evergreen State College. It does not include University of Washington or Western Washington University, or private colleges.