The legislature finds that apprenticeship programs provide important graduation pathways and future career opportunities to students. These programs also benefit employers, providing an opportunity to train students for jobs in industries important to local communities.
Regional apprenticeship programs are an approach to better match the state's education offerings with the needs of local employers and employees. To support this effort, the legislature intends to provide educational service districts with the resources necessary to establish regional apprenticeship programs, including staff to oversee the programs and other nonstaff funding needed to establish the programs and necessary agreements with local stakeholders, including unions, other apprenticeship programs, and school districts.
This section adds a new section to an existing chapter 28A.310. Here is the modified chapter for context.
Each educational service district must establish regional apprenticeship programs in at least two industries or professions as provided in this section. To implement the program, the educational service district must:
Coordinate with local stakeholders to identify industries or professions best suited for apprenticeship opportunities and develop curricula. These stakeholders may include community colleges, local labor unions, local apprenticeship programs, and local industry groups. In creating the program, the educational service district may establish inter-local agreements with the stakeholder entities, subject to RCW 28A.310.200; and
Coordinate with local school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal compact schools to make apprenticeship programs available to high school students. Educational service districts may enter into inter-district agreements to address enrollment reporting, pupil transportation, or other terms necessary to enroll students in the program.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate funding for two full-time equivalent certificated instructional staff per educational service district to oversee the programs, and other funding provided in the omnibus appropriations act to establish the programs.
Enrollments in programs established under this section shall be funded up to 1.2 full-time equivalents. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop procedures to ensure that school districts do not report any student for more than 1.2 full-time equivalent students, combining both the student's high school enrollment and regional apprenticeship enrollment for programs established under this section. Programs established under this section must seek approval under RCW 28C.30.040, if not already approved.
In implementing this section, educational service districts shall collaborate with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the career connected learning cross-agency work group established under RCW 28C.30.030.