[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 121 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 121

  To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish 
 demonstration and pilot projects to facilitate education and training 
            programs in the field of advanced manufacturing.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 28, 2021

  Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mrs. Blackburn) 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 Innovation and Opportunity Act to establish 
 demonstration and pilot projects to facilitate 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 ``Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in 
America Act''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION AND PILOT PROJECTS TO SUPPORT ADVANCED 
              MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

    Section 169 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3224) is amended--
            (1) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Under a plan published under subsection 
        (b), the Secretary shall, through grants or contracts, carry 
        out demonstration and pilot projects for the purpose of 
        facilitating education and training programs in the field of 
        advanced manufacturing, which projects shall--
                    ``(A) target skills and competency development in 
                communities with expected growth in advanced 
                manufacturing;
                    ``(B) provide education and training, for available 
                jobs or job openings that are anticipated in advanced 
                manufacturing, which result in a covered skill set and 
                corresponding covered credential;
                    ``(C) educate individuals about opportunities for 
                career advancement within advanced manufacturing; and
                    ``(D) be carried out in a way that gives priority 
                to incumbent workers, dislocated workers, unemployed 
                individuals, workers from rural areas, and 
                underrepresented individuals (such as underrepresented 
                racial and ethnic minorities).
            ``(2) Eligible entities.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant or contract under this subsection for a project 
                under paragraph (1), an entity shall be one of the 
                following entities in any of the several States or 
                territories, in partnership with a manufacturer who 
                employs individuals with advanced manufacturing skills 
                (or a consortium of such partnerships):
                            ``(i) A technical college that offers a 2-
                        year degree or program of study or an 
                        individual community college, such as a public 
                        or nonprofit community college, or a community 
                        college that is a tribally controlled college 
                        or university (as defined in section 2(a) of 
                        the Tribally Controlled Colleges and 
                        Universities Assistance Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 
                        1801(a))).
                            ``(ii) A community college district system.
                            ``(iii) A State community college system.
                            ``(iv) A local board, in partnership with 
                        one or more one-stop centers, that specifies 
                        one or more community colleges where education 
                        and training activities will occur.
                            ``(v) A manufacturing extension center 
                        established under section 25(b) of the National 
                        Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
                        U.S.C. 278k).
                            ``(vi) A local educational agency.
                            ``(vii) Another entity, such as a public-
                        private partnership, or the collection of 
                        entities and individuals carrying out an 
                        advanced manufacturing forum, that would serve 
                        educationally underrepresented individuals 
                        (such as underrepresented racial and ethnic 
                        minorities).
                    ``(B) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority 
                to any consortium of the partnerships described in 
                subparagraph (A) that leverages substantial non-Federal 
                funding for the project involved.
            ``(3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant or 
        contract under this subsection, an entity shall submit an 
        application at such time and in such form and manner as the 
        Secretary shall determine, including the following:
                    ``(A) A description of the eligible entity, 
                evidence of the eligible entity's capacity to carry out 
                activities in support of the strategic objectives 
                described in the subparagraphs of paragraph (1), and a 
                description of the expected participation and 
                responsibilities of the eligible entity, or each 
                partnership in the eligible entity in the case of a 
                consortium.
                    ``(B) A description of education and training 
                activities to be provided that will--
                            ``(i) develop skills and competencies 
                        demanded by advanced manufacturing businesses;
                            ``(ii) lead to a covered skill set and a 
                        corresponding covered credential; and
                            ``(iii) educate individuals about 
                        opportunities for career advancement and wage 
                        growth within advanced manufacturing.
                    ``(C) A description of how the economy where the 
                entity is located would benefit, including--
                            ``(i) evidence of the growth of advanced 
                        manufacturing in the State or locality 
                        involved;
                            ``(ii) information on the potential for 
                        additional job growth with investments in 
                        advanced manufacturing; and
                            ``(iii) information on how the activities 
                        will expose incumbent or dislocated workers, or 
                        unemployed individuals, to new advanced 
                        manufacturing technology skill sets.
                    ``(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 
                performance 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.
                    ``(F) In the case of education and training 
                activities that lead to a covered credential, a 
                description of those activities leading to that 
                credential.
            ``(4) Activities.--Activities to be carried out under a 
        project funded under paragraph (1) may include--
                    ``(A) classroom and onsite experiential learning;
                    ``(B) on-the-job training;
                    ``(C) training which fits into an industry-
                recognized competency model for advanced manufacturing;
                    ``(D) development and implementation of registered 
                apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs;
                    ``(E) coordination with local boards in order to 
                implement and utilize existing (as of the first date of 
                such coordination) articulation agreements with 
                universities and other educational partners;
                    ``(F) distance learning; and
                    ``(G) any other activity the Secretary considers 
                appropriate for providing education or training in 
                advanced manufacturing.
            ``(5) Performance goals and measures.--
                    ``(A) Goals.--The performance goals for the 
                activities provided through a project under this 
                subsection shall be to--
                            ``(i) enhance the skill sets of incumbent 
                        and dislocated workers, and unemployed 
                        individuals, who live in communities with 
                        expected growth in advanced manufacturing and 
                        enable such workers to obtain a covered skill 
                        set and a corresponding covered credential;
                            ``(ii) develop competencies of individuals 
                        with limited experience in advanced 
                        manufacturing;
                            ``(iii) strengthen community college 
                        partnerships with manufacturing extension 
                        centers described in paragraph (2)(A)(v) and 
                        advanced manufacturing businesses in an effort 
                        to meet the needs of the businesses for 
                        adaptability in training of incumbent and 
                        dislocated workers, and unemployed individuals;
                            ``(iv) more fully utilize the capabilities 
                        of such manufacturing extension centers within 
                        the State involved;
                            ``(v) strengthen partnerships of advanced 
                        manufacturing businesses with local boards and, 
                        if applicable, local educational agencies; and
                            ``(vi) help incumbent and dislocated 
                        workers, and unemployed individuals, develop 
                        skills which lead to greater earnings.
                    ``(B) Measures.--The Secretary shall negotiate and 
                reach agreement with each eligible entity that receives 
                a grant or contract under this subsection, on 
                performance measures that will be used to evaluate the 
                performance of the eligible entity in carrying out the 
                activities provided through a project under this 
                subsection. Each performance measure shall be designed 
                to enable the eligible entity to meet the performance 
                goals described in subparagraph (A) and shall include 
                an indicator of performance, which may include--
                            ``(i) the number of incumbent and 
                        dislocated workers, and unemployed individuals, 
                        receiving a covered credential for advanced 
                        manufacturing;
                            ``(ii) the number of incumbent and 
                        dislocated workers, and unemployed individuals, 
                        attaining basic skills, as described in a 
                        covered skill set for advanced manufacturing;
                            ``(iii) the number of incumbent workers 
                        whose education and training, provided through 
                        a project, enables them to meet the needs of 
                        their employers for skilled workers to enhance 
                        operations;
                            ``(iv) the earnings growth of a 
                        manufacturer as a result of education and 
                        training provided through a project; and
                            ``(v) another indicator the Secretary 
                        determines to be necessary to meet performance 
                        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 projects described in this subsection and 
        funded under section 172, and shall transmit a report of the 
        evaluation to Congress not later than 2 years after such date.
            ``(7) Definition.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Covered credential.--The term `covered 
                credential' means--
                            ``(i) an industry-recognized and nationally 
                        portable credential, such as an educational 
                        certificate or degree, an occupational license, 
                        an industry-sponsored certificate or 
                        certification, and a registered apprenticeship 
                        certificate or degree; or
                            ``(ii) an employer-recognized credential.
                    ``(B) Covered skill set.--The term `covered skill 
                set' means an industry-recognized or employer-
                recognized skill set.''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting after the first 
        sentence the following: ``The plan shall describe the projects 
        described in subsection (d), to be carried out in accordance 
        with that subsection.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall take effect as if enacted as 
part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et 
seq.).
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