Minnesota Session Laws - 1993, Regular Session

  
    Laws of Minnesota 1993 

                         CHAPTER 335-H.F.No. 10 
           An act relating to education; establishing a 
          comprehensive youth apprenticeship system; 
          appropriating money; proposing coding for new law as 
          Minnesota Statutes, chapter 126B. 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [126B.01] [PURPOSE.] 
    To better prepare all learners to make transitions between 
education and employment, a comprehensive system is established 
to: 
    (1) assist individuals in planning their futures by 
providing counseling and information about career opportunities; 
    (2) integrate opportunities for work-based learning, 
including but not limited to occupation-specific apprenticeship 
programs and community service programs, into the curriculum; 
    (3) promote the efficient use of public and private 
resources by coordinating elementary, secondary, and 
post-secondary education with related government programs; and 
    (4) expand educational options available to students 
through collaborative efforts between secondary institutions, 
post-secondary institutions, business, industry, organized 
labor, and other interested parties. 
    Sec. 2.  [126B.02] [EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS 
COUNCIL.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [MEMBERSHIP.] The education and employment 
transitions council is established composed of the governor or 
governor's designee; the commissioners of education, labor and 
industry, and jobs and training; the chancellors of the 
technical and community colleges; a representative of the higher 
education coordinating board selected by the board; the 
president of Minnesota Technology, Inc.; one representative each 
from the Minnesota education association and the Minnesota 
federation of teachers; the executive director of the state 
council on vocational technical education; one representative 
each from the Minnesota chamber of commerce, the Minnesota 
business partnership, and the Minnesota high technology council; 
a service delivery area director appointed by the governor; a 
business chair of a private industry council appointed by the 
governor; and two representatives appointed by the Minnesota 
AFL-CIO. 
    Subd. 2.  [PURPOSE.] The council shall assist in developing 
and implementing youth apprenticeship programs throughout the 
state and, where feasible, in integrating community service and 
service learning curriculum into youth apprenticeship programs.  
The council shall submit a report to the legislature and the 
governor, annually by January 15, describing the actions taken 
during the previous calendar year to develop and implement youth 
apprenticeship programs under this section, what waivers of law, 
if any, are necessary to accomplish the purposes of this 
section, and the budget and staffing needs of the programs. 
    Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] The council shall: 
    (1) identify changes that must be made in post-secondary 
guidance and counselor and vocational education preparation 
programs to facilitate workforce development; 
    (2) identify means of implementing career awareness and 
counseling at the elementary level, secondary level, and 
post-secondary level; 
    (3) ensure that graduation standards are met; 
    (4) identify means of using labor market forecasting to 
assist individuals engaged in career counseling and vocational 
education preparation; 
    (5) delineate the role of elementary schools, secondary 
schools, post-secondary institutions, employers, state agencies, 
and organized labor in the activities under this act; 
    (6) develop plans to meet the unique needs of sparsely 
populated areas in establishing a comprehensive youth 
apprenticeship program; 
    (7) develop plans to meet the unique needs of metropolitan 
areas in establishing a comprehensive youth apprenticeship 
program; 
    (8) develop plans to meet the unique needs of students with 
disabilities in establishing comprehensive youth apprenticeship 
programs; 
    (9) advise the department of education concerning the 
implementation of comprehensive youth apprenticeship and youth 
works programs; 
    (10) approve industry and occupational skill standards 
recommended by the skills standards committees; and 
    (11) ensure that the comprehensive youth apprenticeship and 
youth works programs established are consistent with state and 
federal education, labor, and job training policies including 
chapter 178 as it applies to youth apprenticeship. 
    Subd. 4.  [ADVISORY COMMITTEES.] The council may appoint 
advisory committees. 
    Sec. 3.  [126B.03] [COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP 
PROGRAM.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [OBJECTIVES.] (a) The education and 
employment transitions council, with the assistance of the 
department of education, shall establish a comprehensive youth 
apprenticeship program to better prepare all learners to make 
transitions between education and employment. 
    (b) A comprehensive youth apprenticeship program must 
accomplish the following objectives: 
    (1) provide students with work-based learning in skilled 
occupations that lead to high skill employment and opportunities 
for advancement; 
    (2) integrate students' secondary and post-secondary 
academic instruction and work-related learning so that they may 
qualify for an apprenticeship or other high skill training 
program; 
    (3) beginning in junior high school, expand the range of 
skilled occupations available to students to explore as career 
options; 
    (4) improve students' qualifications for an apprenticeship 
or other high skill training program and the opportunity to 
obtain secondary and post-secondary credit for their program 
experience; 
    (5) improve students' ability to use academic skills in the 
workplace; 
    (6) actively encourage women and minority students to 
participate in apprenticeship or other high skill training 
programs; 
    (7) increase the number of qualified students preparing to 
enter skilled industries and occupations and work with employers 
to improve students' access to such industries and occupations; 
    (8) involve representatives of business, industry, 
occupations, and organized labor in planning, developing, and 
evaluating the program, including designing the work-related 
curriculum; 
    (9) enable employers to assess students' skills and 
abilities before accepting the students as apprentices or 
employing them; 
    (10) expand employers' interest in and willingness to 
invest in training students for skilled occupations; and 
    (11) create a school program that is interesting, 
enjoyable, and challenging. 
    Subd. 2.  [ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION AND WORK-RELATED 
LEARNING.] (a) A comprehensive youth apprenticeship program must 
integrate academic instruction and work-related learning in the 
classroom and at the workplace.  Schools, in collaboration with 
students' employers, must use competency-based measures to 
evaluate students' progress in the program.  Students who 
successfully complete the program must receive academic and 
occupational credentials from the participating school. 
    (b) The academic instruction provided as part of a 
comprehensive youth apprenticeship program must: 
    (1) meet applicable secondary and post-secondary education 
requirements; 
    (2) enable the students to attain academic proficiency in 
at least the areas of English, mathematics, history, science, 
and geography; and 
    (3) where appropriate, modify existing secondary and 
post-secondary curricula to accommodate the changing needs of 
the workplace. 
    (c) Work-based learning provided as part of the program 
must: 
    (1) supply students with knowledge, skills, and abilities 
based on appropriate, nationally accepted standards in the 
specific industries and occupations for which the students are 
trained; 
    (2) offer students structured job training at the worksite, 
including high quality supervised learning opportunities; 
    (3) foster interactive, team-based learning; 
    (4) encourage sound work habits and behaviors; 
    (5) develop workplace skills, including the ability to 
manage resources, work productively with others, acquire and use 
information, understand and master systems, and work with 
technologies; and 
     (6) where feasible, offer students the opportunity to 
participate in community service and service learning activities.
    (d) Worksite learning and experience provided as part of 
the program must: 
    (1) help youth apprentices achieve the program's academic 
and work-based learning requirements; 
    (2) pay apprentices for their work; and 
    (3) assist employers to fulfill their commitment to youth 
apprentices. 
    Subd. 3.  [PROGRAM COMPONENTS.] (a) A comprehensive youth 
apprenticeship program must require representatives of secondary 
and post-secondary school systems, affected local businesses, 
industries, occupations and labor, as well as the local 
community, to be actively and collaboratively involved in 
advising and managing the program. 
    (b) The entities participating in a program must consult 
with local private industry councils to ensure that the youth 
apprenticeship program meets local labor market demands and 
provides student apprentices with the high skill training 
necessary for career advancement within an occupation. 
    (c) The program must meet applicable state education 
requirements and labor standards, provide support services to 
program participants, and accommodate the integrating of 
work-related learning and academic instruction through flexible 
schedules for students and teachers and appropriately modified 
curriculum. 
    (d) Local employers, collaborating with labor organizations 
where appropriate, must assist the program by analyzing 
workplace needs, creating work-related curriculum, employing and 
adequately paying youth apprentices engaged in work-related 
learning in the workplace, training youth apprentices to become 
skilled in an occupation, providing student apprentices with a 
workplace mentor, periodically informing the school of an 
apprentice's progress, and making a reasonable effort to employ 
youth apprentices who successfully complete the program. 
    (e) A student participating in a comprehensive youth 
apprenticeship program must sign a youth apprenticeship 
agreement with participating entities that obligates youth 
apprentices, their parents or guardians, employers, and schools 
to meet program requirements; indicates how academic 
instruction, work-based learning, and worksite learning and 
experience will be integrated; ensures that successful youth 
apprentices will receive a recognized credential of academic and 
occupational proficiency; and establishes the wage rate and 
other benefits for which youth apprentices are eligible while 
employed during the program. 
    (f) Secondary school principals or counselors or business 
mentors familiar with the demonstration project must inform 
entering secondary school students about available occupational 
and career opportunities and the option of entering a youth 
apprenticeship program to obtain post-secondary academic and 
occupational credentials. 
    Sec. 4.  [126B.04] [INDUSTRY AND OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS 
STANDARDS COMMITTEES.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [COMMITTEES.] The education and employment 
transitions council shall establish and convene committees to 
develop and recommend industry and occupational skill standards 
for the industries in which apprentices are placed.  The 
industry and occupational skills standards must be consistent 
with section 3.  The committees and the demonstration programs 
shall operate concurrently. 
    Subd. 2.  [MEMBERSHIP.] Committee membership must consist 
of industry and trade representatives, employer representatives, 
and educators familiar with the skills, knowledge, and 
competencies of the industry.  The council shall determine the 
membership of each committee it establishes. 
    Sec. 5.  [126B.05] [COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH APPRENTICESHIP 
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS.] 
    The education and employment transitions council, with the 
assistance of the department of education, shall award planning 
and implementation grants to establish comprehensive youth 
apprenticeship demonstration programs.  The education and 
employment transitions council, with the assistance of the 
department of education, shall establish criteria by September 
15, 1993, for evaluating grant proposals.  The criteria 
established must include the components outlined in section 3.  
The commissioner of education shall develop and publicize the 
grant application process.  The education and employment 
transitions council shall review and comment on the proposals 
submitted.  A grant applicant must represent secondary and 
post-secondary school systems and secondary school principals, 
and should include representatives of affected local businesses, 
industries and labor, as well as the local community. 
    When the youth apprenticeship program is implemented 
student funding must be determined according to section 123.3514.
    Sec. 6.  [126B.06] [GENERAL PROVISIONS.] 
    All state and federal laws relating to workplace health and 
safety apply to youth apprenticeships. 
    The employment of a youth apprentice may not displace or 
cause any reduction in the number of nonovertime hours worked, 
wages, or benefits of a currently employed worker. 
    Sec. 7.  [APPROPRIATION; DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.] 
    Subdivision 1.  [DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.] There is 
appropriated from the general fund to the department of 
education for developing and implementing comprehensive youth 
apprenticeship demonstration programs under section 5: 
     $1,000,000   ...   1994.
    The appropriation is available until June 30, 1995.  Up to 
$100,000 of this appropriation may be used by the commissioner 
of the department of education to contract for services to 
provide technical assistance in creating a clearinghouse for 
information, recruiting businesses, developing skills standards, 
developing evaluation criteria, and establishing a databank for 
youth apprenticeship programs.  The appropriation is available 
until June 30, 1995. 
    The council shall evaluate the projects to determine the 
extent to which the objectives in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 
126B, are realized and recommend to the legislature by January 
1, 1995, whether or not such projects should be made available 
throughout the state.  If the council recommends that the 
projects should be made available statewide, the council also 
shall recommend an implementation process. 
    The education and employment transitions council shall 
actively seek a dollar for dollar match in funding or in-kind 
contributions from nonstate sources, including local program 
participants. 
    Subd. 2.  [DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.] The education and 
employment transitions council shall implement the comprehensive 
youth apprenticeship demonstration programs during the 1994-1995 
biennium.  Industries and occupations participating in the 
program must offer youth apprentices entry-level employment 
during the apprenticeship program period with opportunities for 
advancing into high skill, high wage positions.  
    Entities participating in the program must make a five-year 
commitment to effectively implementing a youth apprenticeship 
program. 
    Presented to the governor May 20, 1993 
    Signed by the governor May 24, 1993, 12:12 p.m.