Labor: apprenticeship: Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill requires continuous appropriation of funds for the program after an initial one-time appropriation of $50,000,000 from the General Fund.

Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program

This bill establishes a grant program to increase access to construction apprenticeships for women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented groups by providing financial support for preapprenticeship training.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes the California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
• Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to establish a grant program upon appropriation by the Legislature, aimed at increasing equitable access to construction career pathways for women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations.
• Provides grants to qualified organizations that offer preapprenticeship training programs designed to prepare these groups for apprenticeships or other workforce pathways.
• Requires grantees to use funds to provide direct participant stipends to offset lost wages during training.
• Prioritizes applications from eligible entities serving women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations.

Who It Names or Affects

• Women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented groups interested in construction careers.
• Organizations that provide preapprenticeship training programs for these groups.
• The Department of Industrial Relations and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

Terms To Know

Preapprenticeship

Training programs designed to prepare individuals for apprenticeships or other workforce pathways.

Stipend

A small amount of money given regularly, often as financial support during training or education.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate funds for the program.
• Details about application criteria and grant requirements will be determined by the Department of Industrial Relations through rules and regulations.
• The effectiveness of the program in increasing representation depends on how well it is implemented and funded.

Official Summary Text

AB 1980, as amended, Caloza.
Labor: apprenticeship:
California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend
Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant
Program.
Existing law establishes in the Labor and Workforce Development Agency the Department of Industrial Relations. Existing law requires the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish a Women in Construction Priority Unit to, among other things, provide resources for employers and project owners, including public agencies, to improve construction worksite culture, address barriers to employment, and develop training and materials for workforce pipeline professionals specific to women and nonbinary individuals in construction.
This bill
would establish
the California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program within the Labor and Workforce Development Agency for purposes of awarding competitive grants to eligible entities, as defined, that provide preapprenticeship training programs designed to prepare women for entry into registered apprenticeship programs or other state-approved workforce pathways.
would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the department to establish, through the Division of Apprenticeship Standards, the Equal Representation in Construction Apprenticeships Grant Program for the purpose of increasing equitable access to building and construction career pathways for women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations in California. The bill would require the department to issue a competitive request for applications for qualified organizations, as defined.
The bill would require the grants to be used
for specified purposes, including to provide direct participant stipends to offset lost wages and enable full participation in preapprenticeship
training programs. The
and apprenticeship programs that are registered with the division.
This
bill would require the agency to prioritize applications from
eligible entities
qualified organizations
that have programs serving
women
women, nonbinary individuals, and underrepresented populations
who meet specified criteria. The bill would impose reporting requirements on grantees and would require the
agency
department
to provide a summary report of the data received to the Legislature. The bill would authorize the
agency
department
to issue rules, regulations, guidelines, policies,
or procedures necessary to implement the bill’s provisions described above, including application criteria, grant requirements, and performance measures.
This bill would appropriate $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the agency for purposes of the California Women’s Preapprenticeship and Stipend Program. The bill would continuously appropriate moneys made available for purposes of the program. By continuously appropriating moneys made available for the program and by making a one-time appropriation, the bill would make an appropriation.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF