[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 201 (Thursday, December 20, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H10417-H10419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1245
      INNOVATIONS IN MENTORING, TRAINING, AND APPRENTICESHIPS ACT

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 5509) to direct the 
National Science Foundation to provide grants for research about STEM 
education approaches and the STEM-related workforce, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:
  Senate amendment:

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Innovations in Mentoring, 
     Training, and Apprenticeships Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) To remain competitive in the global economy, foster 
     greater innovation, and provide a foundation for shared 
     prosperity, the United States needs a workforce with the 
     right mix of skills to meet the diverse needs of the economy.
       (2) Evidence indicates that the returns on investments in 
     technical skills in the labor market are strong when students 
     successfully complete their education and gain credentials 
     sought by employers.
       (3) The responsibility for developing and sustaining a 
     skilled technical workforce is fragmented across many groups, 
     including educators, students, workers, employers, Federal, 
     State, and local governments, civic associations, and other 
     stakeholders. Such groups need to be able to coordinate and 
     cooperate successfully with each other.
       (4) Coordination among students, community colleges, 
     secondary and post-secondary institutions, and employers 
     would improve educational outcomes.
       (5) Promising experiments currently underway may guide 
     innovation and reform, but scalability of some of those 
     experiments has not yet been tested.
       (6) Evidence suggests that integration of academic 
     education, technical skills development, and hands-on work 
     experience improves outcomes and return on investment for 
     students in secondary and post-secondary education and for 
     skilled technical workers in different career stages.
       (7) Outcomes show that mentoring can increase STEM student 
     engagement and the rate of completion of STEM post-secondary 
     degrees.

     SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION STEM INNOVATION AND 
                   APPRENTICESHIP GRANTS.

       Section 3 of the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 
     1992 (42 U.S.C. 1862i) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (g) as 
     subsections (g) through (j), respectively;
       (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
       ``(d) Grants for Associate Degree Programs in STEM 
     Fields.--
       ``(1) In-demand workforce grants.--The Director shall award 
     grants to junior or community colleges to develop or improve 
     associate degree or certificate programs in STEM fields, with 
     respect to the region in which the respective college is 
     located, and an in-demand industry sector or occupation.
       ``(2) Applications.--In considering applications for grants 
     under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
       ``(A) applications that consist of a partnership between 
     the applying junior or community college and individual 
     employers or an employer consortia, or industry or sector 
     partnerships, and may include a university or other 
     organization with demonstrated expertise in academic program 
     development;
       ``(B) applications that demonstrate current and future 
     workforce demand in occupations directly related to the 
     proposed associate degree or certificate program;
       ``(C) applications that include commitments by the 
     partnering employers or employer consortia, or industry or 
     sector partnerships, to offer apprenticeships, internships, 
     or other applied learning opportunities to students enrolled 
     in the proposed associate degree or certificate program;
       ``(D) applications that include outreach plans and goals 
     for recruiting and enrolling women and other underrepresented 
     populations in STEM fields in the proposed associate degree 
     or certificate program; and
       ``(E) applications that describe how the applying junior or 
     community college will support the collection of information 
     and data for purposes of evaluation of the proposed associate 
     degree or certificate program.
       ``(e) Grants for STEM Degree Applied Learning 
     Opportunities.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Director shall award grants to 
     institutions of higher education partnering with private 
     sector employers or private sector employer consortia, or 
     industry or sector partnerships, that commit to offering 
     apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, or 
     applied learning experiences to enrolled students in 
     identified STEM baccalaureate degree programs.
       ``(2) Purposes.--Awards under this subsection may be used--
       ``(A) to develop curricula and programs for apprenticeship, 
     internships, research opportunities, or applied learning 
     experiences; or
       ``(B) to provide matching funds to incentivize partnership 
     and participation by private sector employers and industry.
       ``(3) Applications.--In considering applications for grants 
     under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
       ``(A) applicants that consist of a partnership between--
       ``(i) the applying institution of higher education; and
       ``(ii) individual employers or an employer consortia, or 
     industry or sector partnerships;
       ``(B) applications that demonstrate current and future 
     workforce demand in occupations directly related to the 
     identified STEM fields;
       ``(C) applications that include outreach plans and goals 
     for recruiting and enrolling women and other underrepresented 
     populations in STEM fields; and
       ``(D) applications that describe how the institution of 
     higher education will support the collection and information 
     of data for purposes of the evaluation of identified STEM 
     degree programs.
       ``(f) Grants for Computer-based and Online STEM Education 
     Courses.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Director of the National Science 
     Foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of 
     higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct 
     research on student outcomes and determine best practices for 
     STEM education and technical skills education through 
     distance learning or in a simulated work environment.

[[Page H10418]]

       ``(2) Research areas.--The research areas eligible for 
     funding under this subsection may include--
       ``(A) post-secondary courses for technical skills 
     development for STEM occupations;
       ``(B) improving high-school level career and technical 
     education in STEM subjects;
       ``(C) encouraging and sustaining interest and achievement 
     levels in STEM subjects among women and other populations 
     historically underrepresented in STEM studies and careers; 
     and
       ``(D) combining computer-based and online STEM education 
     and skills development with traditional mentoring and other 
     mentoring arrangements, apprenticeships, internships, and 
     other applied learning opportunities.'';
       (3) in subsection (a)(3)(A), by striking the comma and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (4) in subsection (c)(1)(B)(iv), by striking ``subsection 
     (f)(3)'' and inserting ``subsection (i)(3)'';
       (5) in subsection (h), as redesignated--
       (A) in the heading, by striking ``Limitation on Funding'' 
     and inserting ``Funding'';
       (B) by inserting ``(3) Limitation on funding.--'' before 
     ``To qualify'' and indenting appropriately; and
       (C) by inserting before paragraph (3), as redesignated, the 
     following:
       ``(1) Funding.--The Director shall allocate out of amounts 
     made available for the Education and Human Resources 
     Directorate--
       ``(A) up to $5,000,000 to carry out the activities under 
     subsection (d) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022, 
     subject to the availability of appropriations;
       ``(B) up to $2,500,000 to carry out the activities under 
     subsection (e) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022, 
     subject to the availability of appropriations; and
       ``(C) up to $2,500,000 to carry out the activities under 
     subsection (f) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022, 
     subject to the availability of appropriations.
       ``(2) Limitation on funding.--Amounts made available to 
     carry out subsections (d), (e), and (f) shall be derived from 
     amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the 
     National Science Foundation.''; and
       (6) in subsection (j), as redesignated--
       (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
     semicolon;
       (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (7); and
       (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
       ``(5) the term `in-demand industry sector or occupation' 
     has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce 
     Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102);
       ``(6) the term `junior or community college' has the 
     meaning given the term in section 312 of the Higher Education 
     Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058);''; and
       (D) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(8) the term `region' means a labor market area, as that 
     term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
     Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); and
       ``(9) the terms `mathematics, science, engineering, or 
     technology' or `STEM' mean science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics, including computer science.''.

     SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON EFFICIENCY OF SKILLED TECHNICAL LABOR 
                   MARKETS.

       (a) Efficiency of Skilled Technical Labor Markets.--The 
     Director of the National Science Foundation, working through 
     the Directorate of Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, in 
     coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall support 
     research on labor market analysis innovations, data and 
     information sciences, electronic information tools and 
     methodologies, and metrics.
       (b) Skilled Technical Workforce.--
       (1) Review.--The National Center for Science and 
     Engineering Statistics of the National Science Foundation 
     shall consult and coordinate with other relevant Federal 
     statistical agencies, including the Institute of Education 
     Sciences of the Department of Education, and the Committee on 
     Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education 
     of the National Science and Technology Council established 
     under section 101 of the America COMPETES Act of 2010 (Public 
     Law 111-358), to explore the feasibility of expanding its 
     surveys to include the collection of objective data on the 
     skilled technical workforce.
       (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
     Foundation shall submit to Congress a report on the progress 
     made in expanding the National Center for Science and 
     Engineering Statistics surveys to include the skilled 
     technical workforce, including a plan for multi-agency 
     collaboration to improve data collection and reporting of 
     data on the skilled technical workforce.
       (3) Definition of skilled technical workforce.--The term `` 
     `skilled technical workforce' '' means workers with high 
     school diplomas and two-year technical training or 
     certifications who employ significant levels of STEM 
     knowledge in their jobs.

     SEC. 5. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

       (a) Evaluation.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
     Foundation shall evaluate the grant programs established 
     under subsections (d), (e), and (f) of section 3 of the 
     Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 
     1862i), as amended by this Act.
       (2) Requirements.--In conducting the evaluation under 
     paragraph (1), the Director shall--
       (A) use a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to 
     identify best practices and materials developed or 
     demonstrated by the research conducted pursuant to such 
     grants and programs under subsection (f) of that section;
       (B) include an assessment of the effectiveness of the grant 
     programs in expanding apprenticeships, internships, and other 
     applied learning opportunities offered by employers in 
     conjunction with junior or community colleges, or 
     institutions of higher education, as applicable;
       (C) assess the number of students who participated in the 
     grant programs; and
       (D) assess the percentage of students participating in the 
     grant programs who successfully complete their education 
     programs.
       (b) Report on Evaluations.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date the evaluation under subsection (a) is complete, the 
     Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit to 
     Congress and the Secretary of Education, and make widely 
     available to the public, a report on the results of the 
     evaluation, including any recommendations for legislative 
     action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grant 
     programs.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5509, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5509, the IMT Apprenticeships Act, was introduced 
by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy with my support and that of the 
ranking minority member of the Science, Space, and Technology 
Committee. It increases our STEM workforce and improves our national 
competitiveness.
  The IMT Apprenticeships Act directs the National Science Foundation 
to fund initiatives that support innovative partnerships between 
academic institutions and local industries. These programs combine 
formal education with work experiences such as apprenticeships, pairing 
local employers with the STEM industry.
  This bill also requires the NSF to conduct research on market 
analysis innovations and America's skilled technical workforce.
  I would like to thank Leader McCarthy, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice 
Johnson, and Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune for their efforts on 
this bipartisan bill. The IMT Apprenticeships Act enhances America's 
STEM competitiveness and contributes to our future economic prosperity.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge its support, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5509, the Innovations in 
Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act. I thank Majority Leader 
McCarthy for introducing this good legislation. In the interest of 
time, I will be placing extended remarks in the Record today.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5509, the Innovations in Mentoring, 
Training, and Apprenticeships Act. I thank Majority Leader McCarthy for 
introducing this good legislation.
  Building a STEM workforce that can meet the demands of our 
continually evolving economy is one of the most pressing challenges we 
face today. With a persistent and widening STEM skills gap, companies 
in all sectors continue to struggle to meet their needs for skilled 
technical workers. We must do more to ensure we are preparing a 
workforce that can keep pace with these demands, and not just in the 
near term.
  Apprenticeships are a promising approach to bridging this gap. By 
investing in education and on-the-job training for their workers, 
employers can develop a workforce equipped with skills tailored to 
their specific needs. After completing an apprenticeship program, 
workers are on the path to a long-term, well-paying career.
  H.R. 5509 directs the National Science Foundation to provide grants 
for developing or improving associate, certificate, and applied 
learning programs at community colleges and universities in partnership 
with employers. This bill also directs NSF to support research on the 
skilled technical labor market. These are important steps in the right 
direction.
  In order to build a strong skilled technical workforce we must do 
more to expand access to these careers. Women make up nearly half of 
the workforce but only 6 percent of apprentices. I am glad this bill 
highlights the need for better outreach and I look forward to exploring 
what more can be done to ensure women and other underrepresented 
minorities have the

[[Page H10419]]

same opportunities to benefit from apprenticeships.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to 
speak in support of H.R. 5509, the innovations in Mentoring, Training, 
and Apprenticeships Act. I comment Majority Leader McCarthy for his 
leadership in addressing this important issue with this legislation.
  I am heartened to see so much attention being paid to the importance 
of developing a STEM workforce that is equipped to meet the demands of 
an increasingly automated and technology-driven economy. As Ranking 
Member of the Science Committee, I am committed to ensuring all 
students and individuals seeking a career change have access to the 
education and technical skills training they need to pursue high-
paying, meaningful STEM careers.
  It is high time we as a society recognize the value of 
apprenticeships as avenues to high quality careers. We have work to do 
to change the perception of skilled technical labor and it starts by 
recognizing that our STEM workforce includes so much more than just 
those with advanced STEM degrees.
  A strong STEM workforce is built on the foundation of blue collar 
STEM workers--workers who use their extensive STEM knowledge and skills 
day in and day out without the need for a traditional four-year degree.
  Blue collar STEM workers contribute to our nation's economic 
competitiveness in immeasurable ways. What good is it for a company to 
have the most innovative engineers and scientists if they don't have 
the laboratory managers, technicians, mechanics, IT workers, 
machinists, and welders to transform their ideas into reality? We will 
need more blue collar STEM workers if we are to keep pace with our 
global competitors.
  One key barrier to developing a strong STEM workforce is the 
misalignment between the education and training provided at community 
colleges and universities and the knowledge and skills employers need. 
H.R. 5509 takes us in the right direction by directing federal support 
for developing and improving STEM associate degree and applied learning 
programs in partnership with local employers.
  In the new congress I look forward to continuing to explore ways in 
which Congress can help strengthen the blue collar STEM workforce that 
is so vital to our success.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and 
concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 5509.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. MASSIE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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