(a) There is hereby established the Pre-Release Construction Trades Certificate Program, hereinafter referred to in this section as “the program,” in the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, hereinafter referred to in this section as the “department,” to increase employment opportunities in the construction trades for inmates upon release.

(b) The department shall establish a joint advisory committee for the purpose of implementation of the program. The committee shall be composed of representatives from building and construction trades employee organizations, the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, joint apprenticeship training programs, the Prison Industry Authority, the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and any other representatives the department determines appropriate. The responsibilities of the committee shall include, but are not be limited to, the following:

(1) Develop guidelines for the participation of inmates in preapprenticeship training programs, as described in subdivision (e) of Section 14230 of the Unemployment Insurance Code. The guidelines shall provide for the integration, for all inmate preapprenticeship training programs in the building and construction trades, of the multicraft core curriculum implemented by the State Department of Education for its California Partnership Academies pilot project and by the California Workforce Development Board and local boards.

(2) Develop and implement a pre-release construction trades certification that validates that an inmate completed instruction, skills, and competencies required by and recognized by the participating building and construction trades.

(3) Ensure compliance with any applicable requirements and regulations of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

(4) Evaluate pre-release on-the-job training opportunities to compare and match competencies with those of registered apprentices in the building and construction trades.

(5) Explore the feasibility of the electronic tracking of each participating inmate’s relevant activities to efficiently capture competencies related to the certification.

(6) Explore the pre-release awarding of formal credit for apprenticeship hours recognized by joint apprenticeship training programs and the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

(7) Facilitate the admission of graduates of inmate preapprenticeship programs, after release, into state-approved apprenticeship programs and for apprenticeship programs to evaluate such individuals for admission with advanced standing based on prior coursework and work experience.

(Added by Stats. 2018, Ch. 53, Sec. 40. (SB 866) Effective June 27, 2018.)