(a) On or before January 1, 2019, the Division of Apprenticeship Standards shall develop a process to approve preapprenticeship programs for purposes of establishing eligibility for any state programs.

(b) (1) A program seeking approval as a preapprenticeship program shall submit to the Division of Apprenticeship Standards a request for approval, on a form developed by the division.

(2) The request for approval shall include documentation evidencing that the program’s preapprenticeship training activities are conducted in partnership with one or more apprenticeship programs approved by the Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Valid documentation for purposes of this section shall include a copy of a memorandum of understanding or other formal written agreement that does all the following:

(A) Verifies the apprenticeship program’s support for the preapprenticeship program.

(B) Gives priority but not a guarantee to preapprenticeship graduates for acceptance into the apprenticeship program.

(C) Makes a commitment as to the number of preapprenticeship graduates that may be accepted into the apprenticeship program.

(c) To qualify for approval, a preapprenticeship program shall include the following elements:

(1) Training and curriculum based on industry standards and approved by the documented registered apprenticeship program partner or partners that will prepare individuals with the skills and competencies needed to enter one or more registered apprenticeship programs.

(2) Strategies that increase registered apprenticeship opportunities for underrepresented, disadvantaged, or low-skilled individuals, such that, upon completion, those individuals will meet the entry requirements, gain consideration, and be prepared for success in one or more registered apprenticeship programs. These strategies include any of the following:

(A) Strong recruitment efforts focused on outreach to populations underrepresented in local, state, and national registered apprenticeship programs.

(B) Educational and prevocational services that prepare individuals to meet the entry requisites of one or more registered apprenticeship programs, such as specific career and industry awareness workshops, job readiness courses, English for speakers of other languages, adult basic education, financial literacy seminars, and mathematics tutoring.

(C) Exposing participants to local, state, and national registered apprenticeship programs and providing direct assistance to participants applying to those programs.

(D) Facilitating access to appropriate support services during both the preapprenticeship program and a significant portion of the registered apprenticeship program.

(E) Efforts to sustain the ongoing partnership between the preapprenticeship program and registered apprenticeship program partner or partners, including collaborative efforts that promote alignment with the California Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Unified Strategic Workforce Development Plan and use of the registered apprenticeship program as a preferred means for employers to develop a skilled workforce and create career opportunities for individuals.

(F) Providing physical preparedness training for jobs where physical ability and endurance are key elements of success.

(G) Providing training on safe working practices where applicable to the job.

(H) Providing hands-on training to individuals in a simulated lab experience or through volunteer opportunities that accurately simulate industry and occupational conditions while observing proper supervision and safety protocols, provided that such experience and opportunities do not supplant or reduce the compensable work of paid employees.

(I) Providing for automatic acceptance or priority credits for acceptance into apprenticeship programs of individuals who have successfully completed the preapprenticeship program, and when applicable, giving advance credit in the apprenticeship program for skills and competencies already acquired in the preapprenticeship program.

(d) Preapprenticeship programs shall be evaluated and approved based on a determination of the strengths of the elements described in subdivision (c), as demonstrated in the application.

(e) Approval of a preapprenticeship program shall expire in three years unless the program requests and obtains renewal of its approval by the division. Renewed approval shall be based on the program’s success in implementing the elements described in subdivision (c).

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 497, Sec. 187. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2020.)