CT SB00356

Commissioner of Education, in collaboration with the Board of Regents for Higher Education, shall establish the Connecticut Apprenticeship and Education Committee to coordinate and identify preapprenticeship and apprenticeship training program integration and leveraged funding for career technical education programs.

Committee membership includes representatives from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Labor Department, Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Connecticut Manufacturers Collaborative, Technical Education and Career System, regional community-technical colleges, independent higher education institutions, Connecticut Employment and Training Commission, manufacturing companies, employee organizations, teachers, guidance counselors, school counselors, principals, and superintendents.

Committee must report on or before July 1, 2020, and annually thereafter to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly on whether current apprenticeship training programs meet workforce needs; committee shall consult with members of manufacturing, insurance, health care, financial technology, biotechnology, STEM, construction trades, and hospitality industries and review European apprenticeship training programs.

Commissioner of Education shall introduce middle school and high school students, parents, and counselors to careers in the various industries described by the committee and may partner with private sector entities including student visits to manufacturers.

Department of Education shall develop a best practices guide to help local and regional boards of education incorporate relationships with the industries described by the committee into their middle and high school curricula.