SLS 24RS-38 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 20
BY SENATOR DUPLESSIS
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. Requests the Department of Education and Workforce
Commission, along with local school boards and chambers of commerce, to aggressively
develop and promote high quality, youth-serving apprenticeship programs and work-based
experiences for high school students.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Education and Louisiana Workforce
3 Commission, along with regional economic development organizations and local
4 school boards and chambers of commerce, to aggressively develop and promote high
5 quality, youth-serving apprenticeship programs and work-based experiences for high
6 school students, develop recommendations for improvement, and provide for
7 submission of a written report of findings and recommendations by January 16,
8 2025.
9 WHEREAS, an apprenticeship is a proven training program that is used as a talent
10 development strategy for recruiting, training, and retaining world-class talent and has been
11 used in the industry for decades; and
12 WHEREAS, apprenticeships are a work-based learning model where apprentices
13 have supervised on-the-job training, along with job-related education, all while earning a
14 wage that increases during the progression of the program; and
15 WHEREAS, apprenticeships provide a guided path to high-wage careers by
16 combining work and training and allowing people to earn money while they up-skill; and
17 WHEREAS, youth-serving apprenticeship models are work-based learning
18 experiences that fit into a high school student's schedule and stack into apprenticeships,
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SLS 24RS-38 ORIGINAL
1 thereby increasing exposure to apprenticeships and the workforce talent pipeline; and
2 WHEREAS, in Louisiana, work-based learning opportunities such as internships,
3 cooperative education, pre-apprenticeships, and apprenticeships are defined in different
4 places in law and policy and with different levels of specificity, resulting in lack of clarity
5 on pathways and, thereby, young people are not accessing high-quality apprenticeships at
6 the rate at which they could be; and
7 WHEREAS, other states have established youth-serving apprenticeship programs,
8 which are programs with fewer hours or more structure and supports than full
9 apprenticeships, tailored to high school students, in order to bridge the gap from high school
10 to career; and
11 WHEREAS, promoting career and workforce readiness should be recognized as
12 having the same importance as preparing students for post-secondary education
13 opportunities; and
14 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Education has adopted new measures to
15 support young people's access to apprenticeships in recent years, including the Fast Forward
16 program and a legislative allocation; and
17 WHEREAS, more information in needed to (1) understand the extent to which work-
18 based learning opportunities and associated funding sources are currently being used by
19 Louisiana school systems, (2) identify best practices for building pathways for young people
20 to access apprenticeships, which can be learned from locally-created youth serving
21 apprentice programs in Louisiana and from legislative programs in other states, (3)
22 recommend definitions for a connected set of work-based learning opportunities so that
23 young people can progress through these experiences towards an apprenticeship, (4) propose
24 new experiences that fill gaps in the work-based learning experience continuum for high
25 school students, and (5) identify process improvements, supports, and incentives that would
26 enable school systems to guide students through high school pathways that lead to
27 apprenticeships; and
28 WHEREAS, public schools should be afforded support in the effort to promote and
29 provide career and workforce opportunities to students; and
30 WHEREAS, identifying programs and practices that have been successful will enable
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SLS 24RS-38 ORIGINAL
1 the state and public schools to provide better opportunities to students.
2 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
3 urge and request the Louisiana Department of Education and Louisiana Workforce
4 Commission, along with regional economic development organizations and local school
5 boards and chambers of commerce, to aggressively develop and promote high quality, youth-
6 serving apprenticeship programs and work-based experiences for high school students.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and the Louisiana
8 Workforce Commission should work closely with all stakeholders and interested parties to
9 develop this program, including but not limited to representatives from YouthForce NOLA.
10 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Department of Education shall
11 submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on
12 Labor and Industrial Relations and the House Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations
13 not later than January 16, 2025.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
15 state superintendent of education and the secretary of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Yoursheka D. Butler.
DIGEST
SCR 20 Original 2024 Regular Session Duplessis
Requests La. DOE and LWC along with local school boards and chambers of commerce, to
aggressively develop and promote high quality, youth-serving apprenticeship programs and
work-based experiences for high school students.
Requires a report to the Senate and House Labor Committees by January 16, 2025.
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