HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1760
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. |
As Reported by House Committee On:
Labor & Workforce Development
Education Appropriations & Oversight
Title: An act relating to internship opportunities.
Brief Description: Requiring creation of a web-based application to match profiles of students and employers for internship opportunities.
Sponsors: Representatives Probst, Sells, Upthegrove and Hope.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Labor & Workforce Development: 2/11/11, 2/15/11 [DPS];
Education Appropriations & Oversight: 2/18/11, 2/21/11 [DPS(LWD)].
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
|
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT |
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 13 members: Representatives Sells, Chair; Reykdal, Vice Chair; Condotta, Ranking Minority Member; Shea, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Fagan, Green, Kenney, Miloscia, Moeller, Ormsby, Roberts, Taylor and Warnick.
Staff: Jill Reinmuth (786-7134).
Background:
The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Board) allocates grants to workforce development councils, community and technical colleges, and others to establish and support industry skill panels. The skill panels identify workforce strategies to enable businesses to address workforce skill needs. Such strategies may include arranging employer mentoring, tutoring, and internships. The services of particular skill panels depend upon industry needs.
The Board also administers the Opportunity Internship Program. The Opportunity Internship Program provides incentives for local consortia to use existing resources to train low-income high school students for high-demand occupations in targeted industries. The consortia consist of organizations including: high schools, community and technical colleges, employers, labor groups, apprenticeship councils, and preapprenticeship programs. The consortia develop and implement various components of opportunity internships, including internships or preapprenticeships in high-demand occupations.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Summary of Substitute Bill:
The Legislature finds that the economic crisis has presented many challenges for youth seeking employment, and that many businesses cannot find prospective employees with adequate training. The Legislature intends to overcome these challenges through innovative solutions that maximize existing resources.
The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Board) is required to create a web application that:
provides a forum for students and employers to develop networks and match prospective interns with internship opportunities;
permits students and employers to create profiles for matching potential interns with opportunities, and also gives students the option of submitting matches to their academic or career advisors; and
matches profiles of potential interns and compatible employers, provides lists of potential matches, and allows access to profiles of potential matches.
The Board is authorized to solicit and receive gifts and grants to develop the web application. Implementation of the web application is subject to funding in the operating budget or receipt of other moneys.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:
Implementation of the web application is subject to funding in the operating budget or receipt of other moneys.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:
(In support) This bill will help provide a comprehensive view of internship opportunities, and will help connect students with resources.
The main difficulty now is that there is lots of bifurcation where colleges use outside vendors. The colleges and the vendors are disconnected. It is difficult for students to see what opportunities are available to them, especially at organizations that are not big, brand name companies. At the same time, internships are one of the most important things students can do to get jobs after college.
InternMatch built a platform to solve the problem that you are talking about. It does about 90 percent of what the bill talks about.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: Lew McMurran and Mike Bogatay, Washington Technology Industry Association; and Andrew Maguire, InternMatch.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS & OVERSIGHT |
Majority Report: The substitute bill by Committee on Labor & Workforce Development be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 13 members: Representatives Haigh, Chair; Probst, Vice Chair; Anderson, Ranking Minority Member; Frockt, Hope, Maxwell, Orwall, Reykdal, Rolfes, Santos, Seaquist, Sells and Stanford.
Minority Report: Without recommendation. Signed by 5 members: Representatives Dammeier, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Dahlquist, Hargrove, Nealey and Short.
Staff: Trista Zugel (786-7157).
Summary of Recommendation of Committee On Education Appropriations & Oversight Compared to Recommendation of Committee On Labor & Workforce Development:
No new changes were recommended.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:
(In support) Graduation brings about the stark reality of what the job market is like. Regardless, students will be more job ready if they have work experience that enhances their viability as a potential candidate. There is presently no statewide portal to link students to the information they need to find opportunities. You need a seamless nexus and this bill will do that. These opportunities will help students get a sense of what a job is like and prepare them for other opportunities. This will help students see what the CareerBridge does. This bill will give students access to the information they need. There are some great ideas out there and some state resources that could be used to bring all this data together, at a much lower cost than is in the fiscal note. There is a company that already does this work. They have already done about 90 percent of what the bill calls for. Money could be saved by the state by using this resource. We need to make sure that the Workforce Board works with existing companies.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: Representative Probst, prime sponsor; John Wheeler III and Mike Bogatay, Washington Student Association; and Lew McMurran, Washington Technology Industry Association.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.