SENATE BILL REPORT

SSB 5754

As Passed Senate, March 8, 2013

Title: An act relating to integrated career learning opportunities and employment training for at-risk youth.

Brief Description: Concerning integrated career learning opportunities and employment training for at-risk youth.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Litzow, McAuliffe, Kohl-Welles, Conway and Kline; by request of Governor Inslee).

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 2/21/13 [DP-WM, DNP].

Ways & Means: 2/28/13, 3/01/13 [DPS, DNP, w/oRec].

Passed Senate: 3/08/13, 46-3.

Majority Report: Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Signed by Senators Litzow, Chair; McAuliffe, Ranking Member; Rolfes, Assistant Ranking Member; Billig, Cleveland, Fain, Hill, Mullet and Rivers.

Minority Report: Do not pass.

Signed by Senators Dammeier, Vice Chair; Brown.

Staff: Eric Wolf (786-7405)

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5754 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

Signed by Senators Hill, Chair; Baumgartner, Vice Chair; Hargrove, Ranking Member; Nelson, Assistant Ranking Member; Bailey, Conway, Fraser, Hasegawa, Hatfield, Hewitt, Keiser, Kohl-Welles, Murray, Ranker, Rivers and Tom.

Minority Report: Do not pass.

Signed by Senators Becker, Dammeier and Padden.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.

Signed by Senators Braun and Schoesler.

Staff: Maria Hovde (786-7710)

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 Substitute Bill: Intent. The Legislature intends to improve outcomes for youth and young adults, specifically those at risk of not completing high school or those who have already dropped out of high school, through additional strategies integrating education with skills training and work experience.

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 encourage the development of 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 programs.

The Board may receive and expend federal funds and private gifts or grants to administer the ASSET program. 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; develop a web-based system that matches schools and students with employers offering work-integrated learning opportunities; and designate up to eight Workforce Development Councils to regionally coordinate the ASSET program through a competitive application process.

Pilot Regional Coordinators. Pilot 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.

Annual Report. OSPI must produce an annual report summarizing student participation and outcomes, beginning in December 2015. The report must be submitted to the Legislature and the Governor.

Null and Void. If specific funding is not provided for this legislation in the omnibus appropriations act, the legislation is null and void.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony (Early Learning & K-12 Education): PRO: The Governor is insistent on enacting legislation that will help students at risk of dropping out access workforce training for high-demand occupations, such as in STEM fields and manufacturing. This program will re-engage at-risk students in school and give them the skills they need to begin a real world vocation. At-risk youth and young people generally, were especially impacted by the Great Recession, and this bill helps generate employment options for young people. Of Washington high school students, 30 percent need vocational instruction instead of the traditional assessment-based model; this bill helps those students. This bill will not create an unfunded mandate for the schools. The ASSET program will be an efficient single point of contact for organizations hoping to engage at-risk youth through CTE. This bill will help keep talented kids in Washington State by creating a framework for matching students to workforce training opportunities.

Persons Testifying (Early Learning & K-12 Education): PRO: Ted Sturdevant, Governor's Office; Wendy Rader-Konofalski, WA Education Assn.; James Thomas, Thermedia Corporation, Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council; Cindy Zehnder, WA Workforce Board; Tim Knue, WA Assn. for CTE; Matt Canedy, Assn. of WA Business.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Original Bill (Ways & Means): PRO: This bill is one component of Governor Inslee's Working Washington agenda. The idea is to help bring work opportunities to young people by engaging employers in the educational sector, with a particular focus on using the workforce to reengage students who have dropped out from the secondary education system.

Persons Testifying (Ways & Means): PRO: Cindy Zehnder, Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board; Jim Crawford, Office of Financial Management.