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ENGR. H. B. NO. 2210 Page 1
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ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 2210 By: Lay, Hill, Ranson, and
Archer of the House
and
Seifried of the Senate
[ career and technology education - youth
apprenticeship programs - applicable age range -
high school students - Department of Career and
Technology Education - apprenticeship coordinators
– duties - workplace mentors - Secretary of
Education – reports - funds – noncodification -
effective date –
emergency ]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-127, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 14-127. A. The Oklahoma Legislature, recognizing the
need for improved methods of helping secondary students youth
sixteen (16) to twenty-five (25) years of age make a smooth
meaningful transition from high school to the workplace, hereby
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establishes guidelines for youth apprenticeship programs. It shall
be the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Career and
Technology Education to establish a state-certified apprenticeship
program. The State Board of Career and Technology Education shall
establish the rules to carry out the state apprenticeship program.
B. Youth apprenticeship programs shall be defined as learning
programs for young people enrolled in vocational education that
combine on-the-job work-based learning with classroom instruction,
that offer a bridge between secondary and post-high-school training
and education, and that result in certification of mastery of work
skills.
C. A high school student may begin participation in an
apprenticeship beginning in the eleventh grade. Students who do not
begin participation during the eleventh grade may enter a pre-
apprenticeship or a full apprenticeship during the twelfth grade,
subject to employer need and program design. Students must be at
least sixteen (16) years of age to begin paid employment at a
workplace, but related instruction may be completed before a student
turns sixteen (16) years of age. High school students who enter an
state-certified apprenticeship program shall be given equal credit
to an Oklahoma CareerTech-approved full-time postsecondary program.
D. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
shall fund apprenticeship coordinators. Apprenticeship coordinators
shall serve as the main liaison among school districts, industry
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consortia, and hosting employers. Apprenticeship coordinators shall
also be responsible for guiding apprenticeship approval, providing
technical assistance to employers, site-based mentors, and school
districts, collecting site-level data on approved apprenticeships,
forming industry consortia, and chairing semi-annual industry
consortia meetings. Apprenticeship coordinators shall have a
caseload of apprenticeships to manage at their sites. After the
first year of operation, the Oklahoma Department of Career and
Technology Education may move apprenticeship coordinators based on
varying local capacity for apprenticeships. The Oklahoma Department
of Career and Technology Education shall work to ensure that
apprenticeship opportunities are comparable in rural, suburban, and
urban areas.
E. A "workplace mentor" refers to an experienced employee who
provides direct supervision, instruction, and support for high
school apprentices, ensuring that an apprentice receives the skills
needed for a recognized credential and a clear pathway to full-time
employment in a skilled occupation. Each high school apprenticeship
shall have a site-based mentor.
F. The Secretary of Education shall provide statewide oversight
of all Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education-
approved high school apprenticeship programs. An annual report
shall be submitted to the Legislature that includes, but is not
limited to, the number of high school apprenticeships currently
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enrolled, the number of high school apprenticeships completed, the
estimated return on investment of completed apprenticeships to the
state, and capacity differences across rural, suburban, and urban
areas of the state.
G. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
shall contract with an Oklahoma-based external evaluator or
Oklahoma-based university researcher to conduct a comprehensive
return on investment and impact evaluation of approved high school
apprenticeship programs. This evaluation shall be annually
submitted to the Secretary of Education to inform the Secretary of
Education's annual report to the Legislature. This external
evaluation shall be used to make annual funding determinations. The
cost of the evaluation shall not exceed Twelve Thousand Dollars
($12,000.00).
H. Youth apprenticeship programs shall be administered and
supervised by the State Board of Career and Technology Education,
which shall also establish standards for program operation.
D. I. Notwithstanding any other section of law, youth
apprenticeship programs shall not mean any traditional
apprenticeship program registered by the Bureau of Apprenticeship
and Training, United States Department of Labor.
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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There is hereby appropriated to the Oklahoma Department of
Career and Technology Education from any monies not otherwise
appropriated from the General Revenue Fund of the State Treasury for
the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, the sum of Two Million Dollars
($2,000,000.00) or so much thereof as may be necessary to perform
the duties imposed upon the Oklahoma Department of Career and
Technology Education to carry out the youth apprenticeship program
as directed in Section 1 of this act.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
Passed the House of Representatives the 10th day of March, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives
Passed the Senate the _____ day of __________, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the Senate