The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council, housed in the Department of Labor and Industries, is responsible for establishing standards for state registered apprenticeship programs and state recognized apprenticeship preparation programs.

Apprenticeship programs enable individuals to learn trades and occupations through on-the-job training and related supplemental instruction.  Journey-level craft persons or trade professionals generally supervise on-the-job training, while employer-sponsored or union-sponsored schools, or community or technical colleges offer technical instruction.  To qualify as a state registered apprenticeship program, the program must meet certain criteria for training and instruction hours.  Most state registered apprenticeship programs take approximately two to five years to complete, and apprentices earn wages while learning their trade or occupation.  Upon completing an apprenticeship program, apprentices receive completion certificates that allow them to be recognized nationwide as qualified journey-level workers in their trade or occupation.

Apprenticeship preparation programs are designed to help participants build their qualifications and competency before enrolling in an apprenticeship program.  Such programs typically provide support services, career training, or access to mentors, and are sometimes developed to encourage or support an underrepresented population's interest in pursuing trades.  Apprenticeship preparation programs vary in curriculum and duration, but most range from three to six months in length with either part-time or full-time requirements.  To qualify as a state recognized apprenticeship preparation program, the program must maintain a formal articulation agreement with one or more state registered apprenticeship program sponsors.  Articulation agreements are mutually agreed arrangements which define the commitment between the apprenticeship preparation program and the sponsoring apprenticeship program, and include provisions for preferred entry or advanced standing or credit.

The Office of the Corrections Ombuds (OCO) must convene an oversight committee for the purposes of expanding access to construction-related training programs in state correctional facilities and strengthening pathways for incarcerated persons to advance from those programs to state registered apprenticeship programs upon reentering the community.  The OCO may enter into contracts for services as necessary. 

The OCO must appoint the members of the oversight committee, including two persons with lived experience, and representatives of the following:

• the Department of Corrections (DOC), including staff involved with construction-related training programs and reentry planning, and community corrections officers;
• Correctional Industries;
• the Department of Labor and Industries' (L&I) Apprenticeship Division;
• the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), including representatives from the Basic Education Division and student support programs;
• the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council;
• state registered apprenticeship programs in the construction trades, and providers of apprenticeship preparation programs;
• college corrections navigators and apprenticeship navigators;
• the Department of Children, Youth, and Families' Juvenile Rehabilitation Division and Community Services Office;
• the OCO; and
• other agencies, boards, or entities that the OCO has identified with a significant interest in the work of the oversight committee.

 The oversight committee must:

• develop, maintain, and publish an inventory of all construction-related training programs in correctional facilities;
• collect, maintain, and publish information and data on construction-related training programs for the previous four calendar years;
• assess the viability or progress of transitioning current construction-related training programs to meet state recognized apprenticeship preparation requirements, and transitioning the curriculum for construction-related apprenticeship preparation programs to cover multiple construction crafts;
• assess any unmet support needed by construction-related training programs for instruction; 
• assess the viability or progress of implementing new state recognized apprenticeship preparation programs in correctional facilities;
• assess practices for conducting transitional planning and support for participants who complete construction-related training programs; and
• identify areas of concern and make recommendations for appropriate and necessary changes to policies and practices to the DOC, the SBCTC, L&I, state registered apprenticeship programs, and other appropriate entities.

By October 1, 2025, the oversight committee must submit a report to the Legislature with initial findings and recommendations for expanding access to construction-related state recognized apprenticeship preparation programs in state correctional facilities, and strengthening pathways for incarcerated persons to advance from those programs to state registered apprenticeship programs upon reentering the community.  Beginning by October 1, 2026, the oversight committee must submit a report to the Legislature by October 1 of every even-numbered year summarizing its work from the previous two-year period and providing any relevant findings and recommendations.  The OCO must, on an ongoing basis, publish information on its websites designed to improve access to and outcomes of programs, based on input and guidance provided by the oversight committee.

For the purpose of supporting the work of the oversight committee, the OCO may consider relevant aspects of its work and communications, including any personally identifiable information of incarcerated persons, to constitute an investigation, subject to certain confidentiality protections.  Oversight committee members must maintain the confidentiality of any such records and information identified by the OCO.

The DOC must collect data on the employment outcomes of incarcerated persons reentering the community after having participated in a construction-related training program in a constructional facility, including whether those persons participated in and completed any state registered apprenticeship programs.  The DOC, in consultation with the oversight committee and relevant state agencies, must make efforts to track and collect data on employment outcomes for at least three years following a person's release from a state correctional facility.  Upon request, the DOC must report any such data to the oversight committee and the OCO.

Beginning by December 1, 2026, the DOC must submit a report to the Legislature by December 1 of every even-numbered year with the following information from the previous two-year period:

• the status of implementing any changes recommended by the oversight committee;
• the reasoning for not implementing any changes recommended by the oversight committee;
• a summary of funding expended on construction-related training programs identified by the oversight committee; and
• a summary of any additional funding needed to support such programs.