Legislature(2021 - 2022)BARNES 124
03/15/2021 06:30 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB100 | |
| HB132 | |
| HB45 | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s):|| Alaska Workers' Compensation Board|| Board of Chiropractic Examiners | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 100 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 132 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 45 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 132-SCHOOL APPRENTICESHIP PROGS; TAX CREDITS
7:50:08 PM
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the next order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 132 "An Act relating to technical
education and apprenticeships; relating to concurrent vocational
education, training, and on-the-job trade experience programs
for students enrolled in public secondary schools; relating to
child labor; and providing for an effective date."
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ noted that HB 132 is a House Labor and
Commerce Standing Committee bill on apprenticeship. She said
Co-Chair Fields would be introducing the bill.
7:50:58 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS, on behalf of the House Labor and Commerce
Standing Committee, sponsor, introduced HB 132, the Alaska
Apprenticeship Expansion Act. He stated that the bill's origins
are rooted in the long-standing success of apprenticeships in
Alaska, the experiences he had while working in the Department
of Labor & Workforce Development on expanding apprenticeships,
and on conversations with Representative McCarty prior to the
representative's election. He said Representative McCarty's
election was a good opportunity to look at ideas that could be
used to promote apprenticeship, he noted. Last session the
legislature came together around apprenticeships through House
Bill 308, which strengthened apprenticeships in the plumbing,
pipefitting, and electrical trades.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS said HB 132 would expand apprenticeships beyond
the building trades. He related that many Alaskans think of the
traditional construction trades when they hear "apprenticeship."
But, he continued, in the US and around the world there has been
tremendous expansion of apprenticeship beyond the traditional
building trades, especially in the last decade. Expansion has
been seen in insurance, financial services, health care, and
advanced manufacturing.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS explained that HB 132 would support expansion of
apprenticeships within traditional sectors as well as strengthen
connections between Alaska's career and technical education
programs with school districts and apprenticeship programs.
More graduating seniors would have career options with post-
secondary credentials, he said, and more employers would have an
identified pipeline of skilled talent.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS further stated that Alaska needs to keep working
to expand dual credit programs in which apprenticeship program
participants earn college credit and so that high school
students in non-apprenticeship career and technical educational
programs have more dual credit opportunities. He stressed that
these opportunities are particularly important for socio-
economic mobility, in other words for graduating seniors who
can't afford not to work. For too long people have been forced
to make an unfair choice going to work or getting a degree.
With the marriage of college and apprenticeship, and career and
technical education and college credit, Alaska's students can
have both.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS noted that Representative McCarty spoke to many
stakeholders and wrote HB 108, which is currently contained
within HB 132. He said he would defer to Representative McCarty
on whether to keep these as a comprehensive package or to pursue
HB 108 separately. He thanked Representative McCarty, along
with numerous other individuals, state departments, and federal
departments, for their help related to HB 132.
7:54:59 PM
CO-CHAIR FIELDS turned to a PowerPoint presentation on HB 132
titled "Apprenticeship Expansion Act." He displayed slide 2,
"Apprenticeship and CTE Background," and related that Alaska has
high-performing apprenticeship programs in traditional trades,
and almost 800 employers participate in Apprenticeships Day. He
said there has been exciting innovation with apprenticeship in
new industries, which the committee heard about in an earlier
informational hearing from the Primary Care Association and
others. While Alaska has some outstanding school district
programs, they are not at the scale needed to meet student
demand. He said a question to ask is: What can the state do to
support school districts that have an opportunity to scale up?
Other states and nations have shown the potential to expand
skill apprenticeship and career and technical education (CTE).
Alaska can learn from the examples set by nations like
Switzerland and Germany and the state of South Carolina, and the
apprenticeship tax credit provided in HB 132 is an example of
trying to learn from successful models. He reiterated his
previous statement that expansion of apprenticeship and CTE
would help people pull themselves up by their bootstraps when
they can't afford not to work in college. If the legislature
puts the right policy framework into place, he added, Alaska
would be able to capitalize on new infusions of federal grant
support for apprenticeship.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS proceeded to slide 3, "Incentivize Employer
Participation." He specified that HB 132 would establish an
employer tax credit of $1,000 per apprentice, a model used by
South Carolina to significantly scale up apprenticeship in
advanced manufacturing. The bill as currently written is a tax
credit for for-profit companies, he pointed out. A question is
whether the committee would like to make this a refundable
credit so that it would also benefit non-profit employers.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS spoke to slide 4, "Depts. Labor, Education
Coordination." He said that historically the Department of
Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) has supported
apprenticeship in Alaska. A question is whether that support
could be broadened with collaboration from the Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED). The bill's language, he
continued, does envision strong collaboration between DOLWD and
DEED, given the need to expand school to apprenticeship programs
and to the extent possible along more dual credit opportunities
for CTE programs including in "the STEM fields." He noted the
bill's language is general, giving the department the
flexibility to support school districts where it can.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS addressed slide 5, "College Credit for CTE and
Apprenticeship." He explained the bill directs the Board of
Regents to find ways to expand dual credit for CTE courses and
college credit for apprenticeship participants. He said the
university has made positive steps in this direction already.
He reiterated that HB 132 contains the entirety of HB 108 by
Representative McCarty. He concluded by stating that the bill
is simple a tax credit, collaboration among departments, and
dual credits with the university.
7:58:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON requested further context regarding the
statement by Co-Chair Fields that last year the legislature
helped expand partnership through the building trade.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS replied that the legislature took what had been
regulations around apprenticeships in the plumbing, pipefitting,
and electrical trades and put some of those into statute to
strengthen the state's statutory support for some of the skilled
building trade apprenticeships.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON asked if that also included a tax credit.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS responded that it did not. He explained that
that is more in terms of occupational licensing.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON inquired whether there is a reason for a
tax credit being included in HB 132.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS answered that HB 132 proposes a tax credit of
$1,000 per student based on the successful model seen in South
Carolina scaling up apprenticeship. To his knowledge, he added,
the legislature has not contemplated an incentive like this
before, so he wanted to put it on the table.
8:00:09 PM
JOHN HAKALA, State Director, Office of Apprenticeship, US
Department of Labor, stated that he delivered a presentation on
youth apprenticeship on 2/24/21, and his comments today are a
follow-up to that. He said he reviewed the 2/9/21 draft version
of the bill and would like to recommend two wording changes to
"Section 1(12)" which states, "provide educational opportunities
in the areas of vocational education and training, and basic
education to individuals over 16 years of age who are no longer
attending school; the department may consult with business and
labor unions to develop a program to prepare students for
apprenticeships or internships that will lead to employment
opportunities". [In the bill before the committee, Version 32-
LS0476\B, this language is found in Sec. 3(a)(12).] Mr. Hakala
recommended that "career and technical education" be added after
the comma following "vocational education and training". He
explained that for youth apprenticeship, a look is taken at
career and technical education credit for on-the-job learning
and the related technical instruction. Since there is an Alaska
career and technical education plan, he continued, it would be
nice to have that reference included.
MR. HAKALA, regarding the above language, further advised that
using the term "internships" would introduce confusion into the
intent of the bill. He therefore recommended that "internships"
be replaced with "pre-apprenticeships" because internships,
work-based learning, on-the-job training, and CTE high school
program preparatory training all fall under pre-apprenticeships
for purposes of the House bill. He also noted that the current
federal apprenticeship regulations, as well as the draft
National Apprenticeship Act for 2021, only reference registered
apprenticeship, youth apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship.
[Thus, as per Mr. Hakala's recommendations, this language would
read: "provide educational opportunities in the areas of
vocational education and training, career and technical
education, and basic education to individuals over 16 years of
age who are no longer attending school; the department may
consult with business and labor unions to develop a program to
prepare students for apprenticeships or pre-apprenticeships that
will lead to employment opportunities".]
8:03:33 PM
MR. HAKALA addressed "Sec. 3" [in the 2/9/21 draft version of
the bill] which states that AS 43.20 is amended by adding a new
section to read: "To qualify as a registered apprentice for
purposes of the credit under this section, a person must
participate in a registered apprenticeship program recognized by
the Department of Labor and Workforce Development." [In the
bill before the committee, Version 32-LS0476\B, this language is
found in Sec. 9 (b).]. He pointed out that his office is the US
Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, which has always
been the registration agency for apprenticeship in Alaska. He
advised that the registration agency should be included in this
section to avoid confusion about the roles and responsibility of
the state and federal apprenticeship partnership. The revised
wording, he continued, needs to reflect how the state and
federal apprenticeship partnership has functioned over the
years. Mr. Hakala therefore recommended that the language be
revised to read as follows: "To qualify as a registered
apprentice for purposes of the credit under this section, a
person must participate in a registered apprenticeship program
registered with the US Department of Labor Office of
Apprenticeship, and recognized by the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development."
8:05:15 PM
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ said Mr. Hakala's recommendations are helpful
and requested that he submit the specific language to ensure the
committee gets it right. She related that one reason the
committee wanted to introduce this bill was to set up the
infrastructure that would allow [the state] to take advantage of
forthcoming federal changes in apprenticeship that are expected.
8:05:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN inquired about the functional differences
in definition between apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and
internship.
MR. HAKALA replied that the registered apprenticeship is the
outcome that a lot of the preparatory programs are hoping for or
training towards. Depending on their design, he explained, they
might have a very tight connection to training their
participants to have advanced standing or direct entry into an
apprenticeship, where others may not. Work-based learning,
internships, on-the-job training, and preparatory training are a
component of registered apprenticeship, he continued, but
registered apprenticeship is broader and more structured. They
are components of the apprenticeship, but they are not
apprenticeship themselves, whereas registered apprenticeship
contains probably all the components of any one of those work-
based learning models, but the reverse is not true. He
specified that HB 132 is specifically about registered
apprenticeship, so career and technical education, all the
preparatory training, pre-apprenticeships, and such, are not a
full apprenticeship program.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN asked whether there is a place where he
can see the definitions.
MR. HAKALA responded that he would provide Co-Chair Fields with
the definitions to share with the committee.
8:07:58 PM
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ related that the internships she had in
college and high school didn't have specific concrete benchmarks
that she had to achieve, whereas an apprenticeship has very
specific things that must be learned in order to move on to the
next level. Internships are more general, she added, and
apprenticeships are more specific
8:07:58 PM
BRAD AUSTIN, Training Coordinator & Instructor, Local Union 262,
Plumbers and Pipefitters, stated that his union has a school-to-
apprenticeship program with the Juneau-Douglas High School. He
explained that his union's program requires the students to take
certain classes while in high school. Then at 17 the student is
placed with a contractor, and while the student probably
wouldn't work with heavy tools it gives the student a chance to
be around the trade and work with some of the plumbers. Upon
receiving a high school diploma or GED, the student is eligible
to directly enter the union's apprenticeship program.
MR. AUSTIN pointed out that "direct entry" is a big deal because
the normal course for getting into an apprenticeship program is
to file an application with the training committee, which in
Local Union 262's case only happens once a year. Then the
applicant must sit for an interview with his union's joint
apprenticeship training committee of six people, which can be
intimidating. In addition, the applicant is competing with
however many people are coming in through that application
process. The school-to-apprenticeship candidate with a direct
entry into the program bypasses all of that and comes directly
into the program.
MR. AUSTIN further pointed out that Local Union 262's school-to-
apprenticeship agreement also offers credit hours towards the
apprenticeship program. An apprentice in his union's program or
the Anchorage or Fairbanks programs, he continued, is going to
serve 10,000 hours over five years. Local Union 262's school-
to-apprenticeship agreement offers up to 500 hours of credit,
which put into monetary terms is a raise of $2 an hour after
three months rather than six months.
MR. AUSTIN said the partners in the school-to-apprenticeship
program are the school and the sponsoring agency. In the case
of Local Union 262, he related, the union meets with the student
and the parent or guardian so that everybody is informed. There
is no cost to the student or school, a win-win situation.
MR. AUSTIN stated that HB 132 would help with several problems
that his union has encountered. The bill would promote and
incentivize vocation education and CTE classes, taking them off
the dusty shelf in the counselor's office and putting them out
front. These are great careers for people who choose not to go
to college, he said. For example, an apprentice serving the
five years in Local Union 262's program will have made $281,000
in wages, and when the benefit package is added in the amount
comes to $524,000. These are good, high-paying jobs, he
continued, and the school-to-apprenticeship program is a great
conduit for an easy entry into one of them. He noted that the
school-to-apprentice program at Local 367 in Fairbanks currently
has 14 candidates and works with six schools because its program
is signed with the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
8:15:31 PM
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ urged committee members to visit Local 262's
training school, something that she did and where she was able
to do some welding.
8:15:45 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY thanked Mr. Austin for his testimony and
for the tour he provided at the facility last week. He asked
how many apprenticeship opportunities exist at the Juneau-
Douglas High School, what percentage of students are involved,
and what other programs are offered.
MR. AUSTIN replied that there are three programs in Alaska for
union apprenticeships for plumbers and pipefitters. For
independent contractors he knows of three independent plumbing
apprenticeships in Juneau alone. He said there are probably a
lot more independent contractor apprenticeship programs than
union. He deferred to Mr. Hakala for providing exact numbers.
8:18:32 PM
MARI SELLE, Director, Workforce Development, Alaska Primary Care
Association (APCA), South Central Alaska Health Education Center
(SCAHEC), testified in support of HB 132. She stated that HB
132 has the potential to open doors for youth to enter health
and human services careers. She said APCA is a nonprofit that
supports community health centers, and its mission is to create
healthy communities by supporting community health centers. One
way that APCA does this, she continued, is by supporting
workforce development activities. She noted that many of APCA's
clinics and health facilities are in remote locations.
MS. SELLE related that APCA has been a multi-agency sponsor for
registered apprenticeships since 2017. She recognized the
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development for growing
health care apprenticeships in Alaska through the American
Apprenticeship Initiative and the State Apprenticeship Expansion
Grant. She explained that a multi-agency sponsor works with a
variety of health care employers, many of which are APCA's
community health centers, and APCA manages the apprenticeship
program for these employers. The association teaches the
didactic education, and the employers provide the on-the-skills
job training, while APCA monitors and tracks all the apprentices
so the employer's only worry is employing that apprentice and
providing the apprentice with mentorship.
MS. SELLE said APCA has registered apprenticeships for a variety
of health care fields, mostly at the entry level. Recently APCA
added a human services apprenticeship for direct support
professionals, which are individuals who work with people that
experience a disability. This fall, she continued, APCA plans
to launch a pharmacy tech apprenticeship. She specified that
about one-fourth of APCA's apprentices are youth, defined as
ages 18-24, and that teens younger than 18 can't work in the
health care industry. To increase the availability of
apprenticeships for youth, she continued, APCA is actively
working with Alaska Work Partnership on a youth apprenticeship
grant as well as working with several school districts to
connect their CTE programs with APCA's apprenticeship programs.
MS. SELLE stated that lots of energy is currently going into
creating apprenticeship opportunities for youth, and HB 132
would fuel this fire that is already starting to burn. This is
an excellent apprenticeship model that works well for entry
level health care jobs, she said. This is because facilities
are already having to recruit, mentor, and train staff for entry
level jobs; out of necessity facilities must hire someone who
doesn't have the experience and train them. This apprenticeship
model can provide that missing piece, she continued. It is a
formal education in a structured way for a young person to learn
the needed skills and have multiple mentors through both the
APCA and the employer. These are great jobs, especially for
youth and those without experience, she added, as they can get
started, get certification, and get on a genuine career track
without incurring debt.
8:23:23 PM
MS. SELLE stressed her support for the proposed legislation's
structure that enables apprentices to earn dual credit. She
said APCA has a partnership with Alaska Pacific University (APU)
where the apprentices can earn college credit and an
undergraduate certificate through their apprenticeship. Upon
completion of their apprenticeship that undergraduate
certificate can pull through to an associate degree or
bachelor's degree, and the apprentice can get on a career ladder
to go into nursing, or public health, or even business or social
work depending on what the apprentice is interested in. As
well, Ms. Selle continued, apprentices are earning national
certification through the federal Office of Apprenticeship.
Many of APCA's programs, she added, are well suited for youth,
especially those youth who are on a career track versus a
college track. The Direct Support Professional (DSP)
Apprenticeship, for example, would be wonderful for a young
person. These apprenticeships give youth a well-lit path right
out of high school, while also earning college credit if
desired.
MS. SELLE concluded her testimony by noting that one challenge
is convincing employers to take on apprenticeships. She said HB
132 would provide a financial incentive to employers that would
help offset the risks that employers are taking. She expressed
her support for including the nonprofit sector in HB 132, and
pointed out that 90 percent of the employers participating in
APCA's apprenticeships are nonprofits.
8:25:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON requested Ms. Selle to elaborate about the
risks that employers are taking regarding apprenticeship.
MS. SELLE replied that health care tends to be an environment
where there are high stakes safety and regulatory requirements.
In this environment, she continued, health care facilities
aren't necessarily keen to jump into a new training model. Even
though apprenticeship is not new, it is new to health care and
human service employers in Alaska. So, there is risk for them
to invest the time and energy into trying this and taking on new
inexperienced staff, and she therefore thinks that an incentive
would be helpful.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON offered his understanding the risks Ms.
Selle is referring to are the time and effort that a business
would be putting into the apprenticeship program, not risks to
patients or administrative tasks.
MS. SELLE responded correct and clarified that she was not
talking about risks to patients.
8:27:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY asked whether a person must be 18 or over
to participate in APCA's program.
MS. SELLE answered correct.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY stated he would call that "young adult"
rather than "youth" given youth is generally categorized as
teenagers. He requested Ms. Selle to provide APCA's definition
of youth.
MS. SELLE replied that APCA works with the [Workforce Innovation
& Opportunity Act] WIOA Program which defines youth as
individuals between the ages of 14 and 24, so that is the
framework APCA has been using. She said APCA's youth
apprenticeship program and youth apprenticeship efforts focus on
individuals who are 18-24 and APCA calls them youth.
8:29:05 PM
KYLE KAISER, Electrical Entry Program, Membership & Development
Lead, Local 1547, International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW), President & Founder, Veteran Internships
Providing Employment Readiness (VIPER), testified in support of
HB 132. He thanked the committee for discussing the various
programs today. He pointed out that missing from the
discussions was apprenticeships as a tie-in for veterans getting
out of the military. He said he heard the terms youth and young
adult, but not military even though current and former military
members comprise a good portion of Alaska's population. He
reported that each year 200,000 veterans on average leave the
military, and 150,000 of them are unemployed and have no career
path when they get out.
MR. KAISER related that VIPER's mission is to bridge that gap
between military and civilian employment, and apprenticeships
are an excellent way to do that. He said he participated in an
apprenticeship when he left the military. He stressed that an
apprenticeship offers hope. A person transitioning out of the
military, he explained, doesn't have many transferable skills.
For example, he was an airborne infantry sniper, which didn't
give him much to translate to. Even someone in the military
medical field won't have skills that transfer, he added. An
apprenticeship fixes many of those issues because the individual
will learn everything needed for his or her next career.
MR. KAISER emphasized his support for expanding efforts to bring
people into apprenticeships. He offered his agreement with
providing incentives and suggested that the state also inform
employers about the federal incentives for hiring veterans,
which is something that isn't well known or talked about.
MR. KAISER stated that apprenticeship and how it relates to
veterans is much more than just a job. It could very well be
saving someone's life, he said. Giving someone hope in his or
her next career and a direction for moving forward is invaluable
"when the demons start crawling out of the closet."
Apprenticeships would be a great thing for his children when
they grow up, he continued, but he still wants to make sure
there is support for the men and women coming out of the
military and looking for their next careers, and apprenticeships
could be the answer for doing that.
MR. KAISER said it doesn't matter whether something is defined
as an apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or internship so long
as it is a progression into a career. For example, he noted,
VIPER is launching an aviation maintenance program in May
[2021]. It will provide 12 weeks of general aviation and after
that the individual can choose to go to accredited school or go
to work for an employer that has an internal apprenticeship. He
stated that HB 132 will help get more programs like that going
with employers and will open more opportunities.
8:33:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON complimented the VIPER program. He asked
whether the federal incentives for apprenticeships were only for
former military members or also included others.
MR. KAISER replied that he was referring to the federal tax
incentives for the employment of veterans, and that if the state
notifies employers of state incentives for creating an
apprenticeship program it should also notify them of the federal
incentives for veterans.
8:34:25 PM
JEFF LIBBY, Director, Center of Strategic Partnership and
Research (CaSPR), Director, Applied Environmental Research
Center (AERC), University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), noted that
he previously served as the Associate Dean for the Community and
Technical College at UAA. He thanked the co-chairs for inviting
him to provide testimony on HB 132, which would promote
apprenticeship opportunities in Alaska. He said he is here
today to tell members about the work the University of Alaska
Anchorage has been doing to support this national initiative for
workforce development and helping to put Alaskans back to work,
especially after the pandemic.
MR. LIBBY specified that both the University of Alaska Anchorage
and University of Alaska Fairbanks have associate degree
programs that provide avenues for anyone who completed a
registered apprenticeship to transfer related technical
instruction from his or her apprenticeship into college credit
within the University of Alaska system. For example, he
explained, an individual completing an 8,000-hour apprenticeship
can transfer his or her completed apprenticeship training hours
and have that qualify for up to 38 university or college credits
toward an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in
apprenticeship technologies at either UAA or UAF. The remaining
credits to complete these associate degrees can be completed 100
percent through distance delivery classes. The best part, he
continued, is that these degrees are part of what has been
traditionally known as a "two-plus-two-degree program." This
means that all previously awarded college credits and training
hours for an individual's apprenticeship can be transferred into
a bachelor's degree in Applied Leadership at the University of
Alaska Anchorage. This degree can also be completed 100 percent
online, which allows anyone in Alaska who has completed a
registered apprenticeship an opportunity to complete an
associate degree and a bachelor's degree regardless of where
they live in the state.
MR. LIBBY provided a brief history. He related that this was
originally started with UAA's Community and Technical College
that partnered with a local auto group in Anchorage to develop
the first apprenticeship for automotive service and repair
technicians. It was anticipated that existing students in the
college's automotive technology program would enroll in this
opportunity, which they did. But, not expected, was enrollment
by employees from the organization into UAA's program because of
the opportunity it provided for their career growth. As word
spread through the program's advisory board, he said, other car
dealerships and independent service and repair facilities
throughout Alaska wanted to be a part of this apprenticeship
opportunity. So, UAA applied to be a sponsor for multi
occupational apprenticeships with the US Department of Labor.
This sponsorship allows UAA to send students to any employer and
the university system provides the related technical instruction
for the employer, and it can be in any occupation.
MR. LIBBY stated that after becoming a sponsor for multi
occupational apprenticeships, UAA decided to transfer the
sponsorship from the Community and Technical College to the
Center of Strategic Partnership and Research, which lies under
the Business Enterprise Institute. This allows for expansion
across the colleges and the entire University of Alaska system
to identify other opportunities for apprenticeship to help fill
our workforce gaps. He said UAA has been collaborating with the
American Association for Community Colleges and was awarded
external funding to support apprentices in Alaska and increase
these opportunities. Today UAA is working with the Alaska
Department of Labor and Workforce Development in this national
initiative for expanding community college apprenticeships that
is sponsored by the US Department of Labor and the American
Association for Community Colleges. Currently, more than 300
universities and colleges are participating in this initiative.
MR. LIBBY opined that the term apprenticeship is not well
defined. When the term apprenticeship is used, he said, it is
often associated with traditional skills and technical trades,
but today almost half of the nation's apprentices are working in
the health care industry. He related that UAA has partnered
with the Alaska Primary Care Association and is working with
UAA's College of Health to continue to expand this initiative
and help put Alaskans to work. Also, he noted, the university
has developed an apprenticeship program for diesel mechanics,
and some of the related technical instruction is offered as
articulated credit and dual enrollment for high school students
throughout the state to help jumpstart careers. Mr. Libby
further noted that UAA is currently developing an apprenticeship
in research for both graduate and undergraduate students to work
in fields related to climate change, fisheries research, and
other wildlife and environmental fields. This will be the first
of its kind, he said, and several universities in the Lower 48
are interested in modeling the platform being designed by UAA.
It will help University of Alaska students across the board gain
field and hands-on experience in research.
8:39:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY asked whether there are kids in the
middle college who are doing the program at UAA.
MR. LIBBY replied that a couple initiatives are underway at this
point, one of them being information technology (IT). He said
dual enrollment opportunities for high school students are the
big thing offered by the university. At this point, he
continued, the university doesn't have anything with middle
school, middle college, opportunities, which has been an
initiative for a while. He pointed out that students who want
to participate in apprenticeship could get articulated credit or
dual enrollment credits at the high school level and then
transfer in to expedite their careers in Alaska's economy.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY inquired whether dual enrollment means
high school credit plus college credit.
MR. LIBBY answered that those students taking a course that has
articulated credit or that is qualified as dual enrollment would
be receiving college credit at the high school level. For
example, UA's automotive, diesel, computer networking and
systems technology, and several other programs all have
articulated, or dual enrollment, courses offered at the high
school level, so students are gaining college credit while they
are at the high school level.
8:41:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN commented that most committee members
probably agree that apprenticeship programs and vocational and
technical training is good. He observed that the bill has
requirements for schools as well as other requirements, yet the
fiscal note is zero. He said cost is a big question for him, so
he would like to hear more about the cost as the committee
discusses the bill further.
CO-CHAIR FIELDS responded that DOLWD has a strong network of
apprenticeship specialists. He said the bill language directs
DEED to collaborate with DOLWD, and he would defer to
Commissioner Johnson (of DEED) to explain how he would envision
implementing that and obviously it might change. He explained
that the resources the state would be taking advantage of are
federal resources. Co-Chair Fields recounted that when he
worked at DOLWD he applied for federal grants in partnership
with many great people, and they were lucky enough to receive
them and it helped jumpstart programs like APCA. He said
[DOLWD] sort of positioned itself to benefit from federal funds
and the opportunity today is to build on past achievements.
Regarding the state's history on apprenticeships, he related
that much of the foundational work goes back to when Click
Bishop was the DOLWD commissioner and Governor Palin was
governor. While at DOLWD, he continued, he felt the department
was building on what they did then, and the investment and
support for apprenticeship has continued under this
administration. He said HB 132 looks at what is next, which is
these linkages with schools and the connections to college
credit. There is more federal money coming down the line and if
there is collaboration with DEED and collaboration continues
with the university, [the state] will be very well positioned to
capitalize on that. Co-Chair Fields further related that
district level CTE coordinators have said the districts need
people to make connections with employers so that there are more
school-to-apprenticeship programs for existing apprenticeship
sponsors and for employers that are looking for workforce but
don't yet have an apprenticeship program, and he would like to
see federal dollars support this. He agreed that paying those
folks would absolutely take money and said that would be a role
that federal money could play. He concluded by stating that
DOLWD already has good infrastructure and the department of
labor at the federal level already has good infrastructure, [and
HB 132 would] increase coordination with DEED to position [the
state] to capitalize on federal grants.
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ suggested this be taken up further when the
committee hears the bill again later this week.
8:44:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY recalled Co-Chair Fields asking whether
HB 108 should stay part of HB 132 and said that 75-80 percent of
HB 108 is in HB 132. He noted today's testimony was primarily
about people older than 18. But, he continued, HB 108 is for
high school students to get into the trades and be recognized
that they have certifications to make them employable right away
and more viable to the workforce within a short period of time.
He said he therefore desires that all the language from HB 108
be removed from HB 132.
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ stated she thinks part of that is because
most of today's testifiers were talking about existing programs.
She concurred it is a fair point that the committee didn't hear
very much today about high school level apprenticeship or pre-
apprenticeship. She said the concerns of Representative McCarty
would be taken up when the committee again hears the bill. She
further surmised that Co-Chair Fields would follow up with
Representative McCarty as well.
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that HB 132 was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 132 v. B 3.10.21.PDF |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 132 |
| HB 45 Amendment #1.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 Sectional Analysis 2.24.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 Sponsor Statement 2.24.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 Version A.PDF |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 Presentation 3.2.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 Fiscal Note DOLWD-WC 1.22.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 - testimony received as of 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 background document- Division of Workers' Compensation- Effects of Covid 3.3.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 background document- Division of Workers' Compenstion- COVID-19 WC Year End Report Final 3.3.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 background document- NCCI- AK HB 45 Analysis 3.3.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/5/2021 3:15:00 PM HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 45 supporting document - research, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |
| HB 100 v. A.PDF |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 supporting document - UA presentation.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 letters of support, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 supporting document - DOL AWIB Flow Chart.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 supporting document -TVEP Annual Report FY20.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 supporting document - UA Results Overview.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 FN - DOLWD-WIB, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 FN - DEED, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 FN - DOLWD-WD, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 FN - DOLWD-UI, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 132 FN DOR, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 FN DOLWD-WH, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 FN DOLWD-WIB, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 132 |
| HB 100 presentation, 3.13.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM SFIN 5/14/2021 1:00:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 132 Sectional Analysis v. B 3.12.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 Sponsor Statement 3.12.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM SEDC 3/11/2022 9:00:00 AM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 PowerPoint 3.12.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 Letter of Support - ASHNA 3.11.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM SEDC 3/11/2022 9:00:00 AM |
HB 132 |
| HB 132 Letter of Support - Matsu Borough School District 2.24.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM SEDC 3/11/2022 9:00:00 AM |
HB 132 |
| HB 100 UA Presentation 3.15.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM HL&C 3/17/2021 5:45:00 PM SFIN 5/3/2021 9:00:00 AM SFIN 5/14/2021 1:00:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 Bill Presentation 3.15.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM HL&C 3/17/2021 5:45:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 100 Supporting Document - FY22 Proposed Distribution 3.15.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM HL&C 3/17/2021 5:45:00 PM |
HB 100 |
| HB 45 responses to House Labor and Commerce committee questions 3.15.21.pdf |
HL&C 3/15/2021 6:30:00 PM |
HB 45 |