89R11459 KSD-F
By: Dutton H.B. No. 2800
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the apprenticeship system of adult career and
technology education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 61.8235(a), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The board, with the assistance of institutions of higher
education, career and technical education experts, and college and
career readiness experts, shall establish alignment between the
college and career readiness standards and the knowledge, skills,
and abilities students are expected to demonstrate in career and
technical education by establishing programs of study that:
(1) incorporate rigorous college and career readiness
standards, including career and technical education standards that
address both academic and technical content;
(2) support attainment of employability and career
readiness skills;
(3) progress in content specificity by beginning with
all aspects of an industry or career cluster and leading to more
occupationally specific instruction or by preparing students for
ongoing postsecondary career preparation;
(4) incorporate multiple entry and exit points with
portable demonstrations of technical or career competency, which
may include credit transfer agreements or industry-recognized
certifications; and
(5) culminate in the attainment of:
(A) an industry-recognized certification,
credential, or license;
(B) a registered apprenticeship;
(C) an apprenticeship certified by the Texas
Workforce Commission as an industry-recognized apprenticeship
program as provided by commission rule;
(D) a [or] credit-bearing postsecondary
certificate; or
(E) [(C)] an associate or baccalaureate degree.
SECTION 2. Section 133.001(1), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(1) "Apprenticeship training program" means a
training program that provides on-the-job training, preparatory
instruction, supplementary instruction, or related instruction in
a trade that has been:
(A) certified as an apprenticeable occupation by
the Office of Apprenticeship; or
(B) recognized as an apprenticeable occupation
by the commission as provided by commission rule.
SECTION 3. Sections 133.002(d) and (h), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(d) Each apprentice participating in a program must be given
a written apprenticeship agreement by the apprenticeship committee
stating the standards and conditions of the apprentice's employment
and training. The standards must conform substantially with the
standards of apprenticeship for the particular trade which have
been adopted by the Office of Apprenticeship or by the commission by
rule.
(h) A program must be:
(1) registered with the Office of Apprenticeship and
approved by the commission; or
(2) certified by the commission as an
industry-recognized apprenticeship program as provided by
commission rule.
SECTION 4. Chapter 133, Education Code, is amended by
adding Sections 133.0025 and 133.0065 to read as follows:
Sec. 133.0025. PRE-APPRENTICESHIPS FOR CERTAIN HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS. The commission by rule shall establish procedures and
standards by which the commission may allocate funds available for
the support of apprenticeship training programs under this chapter
to support pre-apprenticeships designed for high school students
enrolled in career and technical education programs of study
leading to employment in high-wage, high-demand occupations. The
standards must:
(1) be developed in coordination with the Texas
Education Agency or Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and
(2) ensure that any committee overseeing a
pre-apprenticeship:
(A) excludes from its membership any bargaining
agent representing apprenticeable occupations certified by the
Office of Apprenticeship;
(B) includes at least one member who is a
representative of a community-based organization that demonstrates
evidence of success in coordinating and managing job placement
services for at least one industry served by the committee; and
(C) maintains, as a majority of the committee's
membership, members who represent employers.
Sec. 133.0065. PUBLICATION OF WAGE OUTCOMES. The
commission shall publish on the commission's Internet website and
include in the unified repository for education and workforce data
developed under Section 2308A.005, Government Code, wage outcome
data for apprentices who complete an apprenticeship training
program.
SECTION 5. Section 133.007, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 133.007. RULES. The commission shall adopt
[promulgate] rules necessary to implement the provisions of this
chapter, including rules establishing:
(1) which occupations are recognized by the commission
as an apprenticeable occupation, based on criteria which must
include that the occupation:
(A) be a high-wage, high-demand occupation;
(B) be customarily learned in a practical way
through a structured, systematic program of on-the-job supervised
training;
(C) be clearly identified and commonly
recognized throughout an industry;
(D) involve manual, mechanical, or technical
skills or knowledge which requires significant on-the-job work
experience; and
(E) require related instruction to supplement
the on-the-job training;
(2) standards of apprenticeship for particular
trades; and
(3) a process for and the criteria by which the
commission may certify a training or apprenticeship program as an
industry-recognized apprenticeship program, which must include:
(A) a requirement that the training or program
lead to employment in a high-wage, high-demand occupation; and
(B) criteria generally consistent with the
standards of apprenticeship as determined by the commission.
SECTION 6. As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this Act, the Texas Workforce Commission shall adopt the rules
required by Chapter 133, Education Code, as amended by this Act.
SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.