    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 132, 115th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Public Law 115-402
    115th Congress

    An Act

    To direct the National Science Foundation to provide grants for research
    about STEM education approaches and the STEM-related workforce, and for
    other purposes. <>

    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 ``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.

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    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--

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    ``(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.
    ``(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

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    ``(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

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    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.

    Approved December 31, 2018.

    LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 5509:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115-975 (Comm. on Science, Space, and Technology).
    CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 164 (2018):
    Sept. 25, considered and passed House.
    Dec. 19, considered and passed Senate, amended.
    Dec. 20, House concurred in Senate amendment.
    DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2018):
    Dec. 31, Presidential statement.