Background:

Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council.

Apprenticeship programs enable individuals to learn trades and occupations through a combination of on-the-job training and related supplemental instruction. Programs are sponsored by joint employer and labor groups, individual employers, and employer associations. The sponsor of an apprenticeship program plans, administers, and pays for the program. The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (Council) is the administrative arm of the apprenticeship section of the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I).

The Council has the authority to, among other things, establish standards for apprenticeship programs and assist sponsors with local administration of training programs. The Council must consider recommendations from the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (State Board) on matters of apprentice-related and supplemental instruction, coordination of instruction with job experiences, and instructor qualifications.

Apprenticeship Supervisor.

The apprenticeship supervisor is appointed by the director of L&I and is responsible for promoting apprenticeships, acting as secretary at Council meetings, registering apprenticeship agreements, keeping a record of apprenticeship agreements, and conducting reviews for compliance.

Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board.

The purpose of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) is to provide planning, coordination, evaluation, monitoring, and policy analysis for the state training system as a whole; and to provide advice to the Governor and Legislature concerning the state training system, in cooperation with the state training system and the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC). The state training system includes the entities that provide programs and courses to prepare a person for a certain job or career.

Academic Credit for Prior Learning Workgroup.

Prior learning means knowledge and skills gained through any of the following:

work and life experience;

military training and experience;

formal and informal education; and

training from in-state, out-of-state, or foreign schools.

In 2012 the Legislature directed the WSAC to convene an Academic Credit for Prior Learning Work Group (ACPL Work Group) and give an annual report on progress towards providing opportunities for students to receive academic credit for prior learning experiences. All public colleges in Washington assess and award academic credit for prior learning. The ACPL Work Group consists of the following members:

one representative from the Council;

one representative from the State Board;

one representative from the Council of Presidents;

two representatives each from faculty from two- and four-year institutions of higher education;
two representatives from private career schools;

two representatives from business; and

two representatives from labor.

Washington Fund for Innovation and Quality in Higher Education.

The Washington Fund for Innovation and Quality in Higher Education (Innovation Fund) was established in 1991 as the Washington Fund for Excellence in Higher Education. The purpose of the Innovation Fund is to encourage higher education institutions, through the use of competitive grants, to develop innovative and collaborative solutions to educational challenges facing the state. The Innovation Fund is not currently funded.

Summary of Bill:

Apprenticeship Strategic Plan.

The Council and the Workforce Board must develop an apprenticeship strategic plan. The L&I, the Council, and the Workforce Board, in consultation with the Governor's Office, must collaborate with the State Board, the Employment Security Department (ESD), and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to:

review existing registered apprenticeship programs;
analyze opportunities for statewide expansion of registered apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs; and
recommend policies to implement strategies that increase registered youth and adult apprenticeships.

The Council and the Workforce Board must consult with individuals from public and private sectors with apprenticeship expertise, including labor unions, professional technical organizations, and business and industry in developing the recommendations.

Apprenticeship Work Group.

The Apprenticeship Work Group is established to review the work on the apprenticeship strategic plan, study the policy recommendations, and advise the Legislature on a future statewide cross-sector registered apprenticeship system. The work group must choose two co-chairs, one from among the business membership and one from state government. The work group is required to meet at least three times before October 15, 2018, and must consolidate its finding and recommendations into one report delivered to the Governor and higher education and labor committees of the Legislature by October 15, 2018.

The work group consists of the following members:

the chair and ranking members of the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee and the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee;
the chair and ranking members of the House of Representatives Higher Education Committee and the House of Representatives Labor and Workplace Standards Committee;
one representative from each of the following agencies: the Council, the Workforce Board, the L&I, State Board, the ESD, and the OSPI;
two representatives from the Governor's Office;
six business representatives from different industry sectors; and
two representatives with subject matter expertise in apprenticeship models.

Department of Labor and Industries Apprenticeship Coordinator.

The L&I must employ a coordinator through the apprenticeship supervisor to conduct outreach to the private sector and assist industries in establishing registered apprenticeship and training programs where they do not exist. Outreach to the private sector should include, but not be limited to employers and employee organizations in technology, agriculture, aerospace, and outdoor recreation manufacturing industries. The position is subject to appropriation.

The Complete Washington Program.

The Complete Washington program is created to connect prior learning, including registered apprenticeships and other skills-based work experience, with post secondary degree completion. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor, with consultation from the WSAC and the ACPL Work Group, must coordinate the program. The WSAC may award incentive grants to organizations consistent with the goals of the Innovation Fund. The incentive grants may be awarded from the Innovation Fund. The WSAC and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor must establish guidelines for the program consistent with the Innovation Fund. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor is added as a collaborator with the WSAC for the Innovation Fund. In addition, registered apprenticeships, workforce development, and expanding pathways to post secondary degrees that recognize learning from registered apprenticeships are included in the Innovation Fund.