Substitute House Bill No. 5833
Public Act No. 19-103
AN ACT ESTABLISHING A PILOT PROGRAM FOR THE
EXPANSION OF ADVANCE D MANUFACTURING CERT IFICATE
PROGRAMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) On or before January 1,
2020, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall establish a pilot
program for the expansion of advanced manufacturing certificate
programs to public high schools in the state. The board shall (1)
prescribe the form and manner in which local or regional boards of
education may apply to the board to participate in the pilot program,
(2) establish the criteria to be used by the board in selecting a public
high school to participate in the pilot program, which shall include,
but need not be limited to, prioritizing the placement of such advanced
manufacturing certificate programs in areas of the state where (A)
there is a need for a workforce trained in advanced manufacturing, (B)
there are economically distressed municipalities, (C) residents do not
have access to advanced manufacturing certificate programs within
close proximity to their homes, and (D) there is sufficient space in a
public high school to operate an advanced manufacturing certificate
program, and (3) explore the means of funding the pilot program
through public-private partnerships, grant programs, federal funds or
state funds through the Workforce Investment Boards, any relevant Substitute House Bill No. 5833
Public Act No. 19-103 2 of 4
program of the Department of Economic and Community
Development, the Connecticut Manufacturing Innovation Fund and
the Labor Department's office of apprenticeship training. The board
may select not more than one public high school per year in which to
establish an advanced manufacturing certificate program.
(b) Any local or regional board of education, separately or jointly
with other local or regional boards of education in the surrounding
area, may apply to participate in the pilot program in the form and
manner prescribed by the Board of Regents for Higher Education. Each
local or regional board of education that is selected and chooses to
participate in the pilot program, whether separately or jointly, shall
enter into a memorandum of understanding and any other relevant
agreement with the Board of Regents for Higher Education for the
operation of the advanced manufacturing certificate program at a
public high school within the school district of such local or regional
board of education. Notwithstanding sections 4b-23, 4b-30 and 4b-32 of
the general statutes and subdivision (15) of subsection (a) of section
10a-6 of the general statutes, the Board of Regents for Higher
Education may enter into a memorandum of understanding and any
other relevant agreement with a local or regional board of education
for the purposes of this section. Such memorandum of understanding
shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) the number of high school
and college credits the students enrolled in t he advanced
manufacturing certificate program may earn after successful
completion of such program, (2) operating hours and staffing levels for
the advanced manufacturing certificate program at a public high
school, and (3) the standards for student admission and the process for
application to the advanced manufacturing certificate program.
(c) The Board of Regents for Higher Education may collaborate with
an independent institution of higher education, as defined in section
10a-173 of the general statutes, that offers an advanced manufacturing Substitute House Bill No. 5833
Public Act No. 19-103 3 of 4
certificate program for the operation of an advanced manufacturing
certificate program at a public high school, provided the local or
regional board of education that is selected and chooses to participate
in the pilot program agrees to such collaboration. If the local or
regional board of education agrees to such collaboration, such local or
regional board of education shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding and any other relevant agreement with the
independent institution of higher education for the operation of an
advanced manufacturing certificate program at a public high school
within the school district of such local or regional board of education.
(d) Beginning in the fall semester of 2020, and for each academic
semester thereafter, each advanced manufacturing certificate program
established at a public high school shall enroll (1) public high school
students in grade eleven or twelve from the school districts of the local
or regional board or boards of education that have entered into the
memorandum of understanding pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of
this section, to simultaneously earn high school credits from the public
high school in which the student is enrolled and college credits and an
advanced manufacturing certificate from the regional community-
technical college or the independent institution of higher education
that operates the advanced manufacturing certificate program, and (2)
upon the approval of the local or regional board of education, adults
for classes during the evening and weekend hours to earn an advanced
manufacturing certificate from the regional community-technical
college or the independent institution of higher education that
operates the advanced manufacturing certificate program.
(e) Not later than January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, the
president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, in
consultation with the president of any independent institution of
higher education with which the board collaborates pursuant to
subsection (c) of this section, shall report, in accordance with the Substitute House Bill No. 5833
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provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to higher education and employment advancement and
education on the operation and effectiveness of the pilot program and
any recommendations to expand the pilot program.