[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1329 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1329

  To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish a pilot 
program to facilitate the provision of education and training programs 
                in the field of advanced manufacturing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 6, 2011

Mr. Rockefeller introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to establish a pilot 
program to facilitate the provision of education and training programs 
                in the field of advanced manufacturing.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``High-Tech Job Opportunities Between 
our Shores Act'' or the ``High-Tech JOBS Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT ADVANCED MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE 
              DEVELOPMENT.

    Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
2916) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Under a plan published under subsection 
        (a), the Secretary shall, through grants or contracts, carry 
        out demonstration and pilot projects for the purpose of 
        facilitating the provision of education and training programs 
        in the field of advanced manufacturing. Such projects shall--
                    ``(A) target skills and competency development in 
                communities with existing jobs in advanced 
                manufacturing or expected growth in advanced 
                manufacturing;
                    ``(B) provide education and training for available 
                jobs or job openings that are anticipated in advanced 
                manufacturing, that result in an employer- or industry-
                recognized and nationally portable credential;
                    ``(C) educate individuals about opportunities for 
                career advancement within advanced manufacturing; and
                    ``(D) give priority to incumbent workers, 
                dislocated workers, and unemployed workers.
            ``(2) Eligible entities.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant or enter into a contract under a project carried 
                out under paragraph (1), an entity, in any of the 
                States or outlying areas, shall be any of the following 
                types of entities:
                            ``(i) An institution of higher education 
                        (as defined in section 101 of the Higher 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), a 
                        postsecondary vocational institution (as 
                        defined in section 102(c) of such Act (20 
                        U.S.C. 1002(c)), or a tribally controlled 
                        college or university (as defined in section 2 
                        of the Tribally Controlled Colleges and 
                        Universities Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 
                        1801)).
                            ``(ii) A local board, in partnership with 
                        one or more one-stop career centers, that 
                        specifies one or more educational entities 
                        described in clause (i) where education and 
                        training activities will occur.
                            ``(iii) A nonprofit organization.
                            ``(iv) Another entity that would serve 
                        educationally underserved communities.
                            ``(v) A consortium of entities described in 
                        clauses (i) through (iv).
                    ``(B) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority 
                to any entity, or consortium of entities, described in 
                subparagraph (A) that proposes to use the funds 
                received under this subsection to leverage substantial 
                non-Federal funding for the program involved.
            ``(3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant or 
        enter into a contract under this subsection an eligible entity 
        described in paragraph (2) shall submit an application to the 
        Secretary at such time and in such form and manner as the 
        Secretary shall determine, including each of the following:
                    ``(A) A description of each eligible entity 
                (including, in the case of a consortium, each eligible 
                entity in the consortium), evidence of each eligible 
                entity's capacity to carry out the activities described 
                in paragraph (1), and a description of the expected 
                participation and responsibilities of each eligible 
                entity.
                    ``(B) A description of education and training 
                activities to be provided through the education and 
                training program, and a description of how the 
                activities will--
                            ``(i) develop skills and competencies 
                        demanded by advanced manufacturing firms;
                            ``(ii) lead to an employer- or industry-
                        recognized and nationally portable credential; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) educate individuals about 
                        opportunities for career advancement and wage 
                        growth within advanced manufacturing.
                    ``(C) A description of how the economy, of the 
                State, locality, or outlying area where the eligible 
                entity submitting the application will provide the 
                program, would benefit, including a description of--
                            ``(i) evidence of existing jobs in advanced 
                        manufacturing or expected growth in advanced 
                        manufacturing in the State, locality, or 
                        outlying area;
                            ``(ii) the potential to prepare individuals 
                        for existing jobs in advanced manufacturing or 
                        create additional job growth in advanced 
                        manufacturing through the program as a result 
                        of investments in education and training in 
                        advanced manufacturing; and
                            ``(iii) how the eligible entity will expose 
                        incumbent workers, dislocated workers, and 
                        unemployed workers to new advanced 
                        manufacturing technology skill sets through the 
                        program.
                    ``(D) A description of how the eligible entity will 
                employ evidence-based training models that integrate 
                academic instruction with training, including on-the-
                job training, in advanced manufacturing, to meet the 
                goals described in paragraph (5).
                    ``(E) A description of how the eligible entity will 
                coordinate activities with State boards or local 
                boards, and State or local economic development 
                officials, in carrying out the program.
                    ``(F) A description of how the eligible entity will 
                enter into a partnership with--
                            ``(i) a manufacturer who employs 
                        individuals with advanced manufacturing skills; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) a labor organization whose members 
                        are employed in advanced manufacturing 
                        industries, where such a labor organization 
                        exists.
            ``(4) Activities.--Activities to be carried out under a 
        program funded under paragraph (1) may include--
                    ``(A) classroom and on-site experiential learning;
                    ``(B) on-the-job training;
                    ``(C) training that leads to an employer- or 
                industry-recognized competency and nationally portable 
                credential for advanced manufacturing;
                    ``(D) development and implementation of registered 
                apprenticeship programs, and preapprenticeship programs 
                leading to registered apprenticeship programs;
                    ``(E) coordination with local boards implementing 
                and utilizing articulation agreements with educational 
                entities described in paragraph (2)(A)(i) and other 
                educational partners;
                    ``(F) distance learning; and
                    ``(G) any other activity the Secretary considers 
                appropriate for training in advanced manufacturing.
            ``(5) Goals and performance measures.--
                    ``(A) Goals.--The goals of the activities described 
                in paragraph (4) shall be to--
                            ``(i) enhance the skill sets of incumbent 
                        workers, dislocated workers, and unemployed 
                        workers who live in communities with existing 
                        jobs in advanced manufacturing or expected 
                        growth in advanced manufacturing, and enable 
                        such workers to obtain an employer- or 
                        industry-recognized and nationally portable 
                        credential;
                            ``(ii) enable individuals with limited 
                        experience to develop competencies in advanced 
                        manufacturing;
                            ``(iii) in an effort to meet the needs of 
                        advanced manufacturing businesses for 
                        adaptability in education and training of 
                        incumbent workers, strengthen partnerships of 
                        eligible entities described in paragraph (2) 
                        with--
                                    ``(I) manufacturers described in 
                                paragraph (3)(F); and
                                    ``(II) labor organizations 
                                described in paragraph (3)(F), where 
                                such labor organizations exist; and
                            ``(iv) help incumbent workers, dislocated 
                        workers, and unemployed workers develop skills 
                        in advanced manufacturing that lead to 
                        employment or greater earnings than would 
                        otherwise be available without those skills.
                    ``(B) Performance measures.--The Secretary shall 
                negotiate, and reach agreement, with each eligible 
                entity that receives a grant or enters into a contract 
                under this subsection, on measures that will be used to 
                evaluate the performance of the eligible entity in 
                carrying out the activities described in paragraph (4) 
                and meeting the goals described in subparagraph (A). 
                Such performance measures shall consist of indicators 
                of performance, and, at a minimum, shall include--
                            ``(i) the number of workers, including 
                        incumbent workers, dislocated workers and 
                        unemployed workers, who are participants in the 
                        program involved, that receive employer- or 
                        industry-recognized and nationally portable 
                        credentials;
                            ``(ii) the number of such participants, 
                        including dislocated workers and unemployed 
                        workers, that attain 1 or more basic skills 
                        that are required for an employer- or industry-
                        recognized and nationally portable credential 
                        for advanced manufacturing;
                            ``(iii) the number of such incumbent 
                        workers who obtain skills, through education 
                        and training, that meet the skill needs of 
                        employers to enhance operations;
                            ``(iv) the earnings growth of such 
                        participants as a result of education and 
                        training provided through the program; and
                            ``(v) other indicators the Secretary 
                        determines to be necessary to evaluate the 
                        performance of the eligible entity in carrying 
                        out the activities described in paragraph (4) 
                        and meeting the goals described in subparagraph 
                        (A).
            ``(6) Evaluation.--Beginning not later than 1 year after 
        the date of the first disbursement of funds under this 
        subsection, the Secretary shall provide for the continuing 
        evaluation of the programs funded under this subsection, as 
        required by section 172, and shall transmit a report of the 
        evaluation to Congress not later than 2 years after such date 
        and every 2 years thereafter.''.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 101 of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 
2801) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(54) Employer- or industry-recognized and nationally 
        portable credential.--The term `employer- or industry-
        recognized and nationally portable', used with respect to a 
        credential, includes an educational certificate or degree, an 
        occupational license, an industry-sponsored certificate or 
        certification, or a certificate or degree from a registered 
        apprenticeship program.''.
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