[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 343 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 343

 To support the establishment of an apprenticeship college consortium.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2023

  Ms. Klobuchar (for herself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To support the establishment of an apprenticeship college consortium.

    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 ``Apprenticeships to College Act''.

SEC. 2. APPRENTICESHIP COLLEGE CONSORTIUM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, in order to cooperate with the Secretary of Education and 
promote awareness and adoption of apprenticeship programs, the 
Secretary of Labor shall--
            (1) enter into an interagency agreement with the Secretary 
        of Education to promote and support integration and alignment 
        of programs under the national apprenticeship system with 
        secondary, postsecondary, and adult education, through the 
        activities described in this section; and
            (2) submit to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
        of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, such agreement 
        and any modifications to such agreement.
    (b) Apprenticeship College Consortium.--In order to support the 
establishment of a college consortium of postsecondary educational 
institutions, related instruction providers, sponsors, qualified 
intermediaries, and employers (referred to in this Act as the 
``Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium'') for the purposes of 
promoting stronger connections between programs under the national 
apprenticeship system and participating 2- and 4-year postsecondary 
educational institutions, the interagency agreement under subsection 
(a) shall include a description of how the Secretaries will--
            (1) support data sharing systems that align education 
        records and records of programs under the national 
        apprenticeship system regarding whether program participants 
        who receive financial aid under title IV of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) enroll in, or 
        complete, postsecondary coursework while participating in a 
        program under such system;
            (2) provide guidance on how to align eligible funding from, 
        planning processes for, and the requirements of, the Carl D. 
        Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 
        2301 et seq.), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 
        seq.), and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et 
        seq.) with this Act;
            (3) require all participants of the Registered 
        Apprenticeship College Consortium to enter into agreements to--
                    (A) have an articulation agreement with a 
                participating sponsor of an apprenticeship program, 
                which may include a 2- or 4-year postsecondary 
                educational institution;
                    (B) create or expand the awarding and articulation 
                of academic credit for related instruction completed 
                and credentials awarded to program participants as part 
                of a program under the national apprenticeship system; 
                and
                    (C) support the creation or expansion of electronic 
                transcripts for apprenticeship programs and all 
                academic content, including related instruction and on-
                the-job training;
            (4) provide technical assistance on eligible uses of 
        financial aid, including the Federal work study program under 
        part C of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1087-51 et seq.), for related instruction for programs 
        under the national apprenticeship system;
            (5) provide to Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium 
        participants or potential participants information regarding--
                    (A) a list of apprenticeship programs in related 
                occupations offered in the State or available under the 
                Office of Apprenticeship that may become part of the 
                Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium;
                    (B) information on how to develop an apprenticeship 
                program;
                    (C) information on Federal, State, and local 
                financial resources available to assist with the 
                establishment and implementation of apprenticeship 
                programs; and
                    (D) information on related qualified intermediaries 
                or industry or sector partnerships supporting 
                apprenticeship programs, as applicable; and
            (6) support information regarding the Registered 
        Apprenticeship College Consortium being made available on a 
        publicly accessible website, including--
                    (A) a list of participating members of the 
                Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium, 
                apprenticeship programs provided, credentials awarded 
                with each program, and available apprenticeable 
                occupations; and
                    (B) models of articulation agreements, prior 
                learning assessments, and competency-based curriculum 
                for related instruction for illustrative purposes.
    (c) Limitations.--Nothing in this Act shall require--
            (1) an institution of higher education to participate in 
        the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium; or
            (2) an apprenticeship sponsor to participate in the 
        Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium.
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