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AB-1106 Employment Training Panel: pilot program: employment training needs.(2021-2022)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) California’s dominance in many economic areas is based, in part, on the significant role small businesses play in the state’s $3.1 trillion economy.
(2) Two separate studies, one by the United States Census Bureau and another by a nationally recognized think tank, found that net job growth was strongest among businesses with less than 20 employees. California firms represented 12.6 percent of all businesses in the United States in 2015, with 88.3 percent of firms having less than 20 employees.
(3) Supporting small business development has shown to be a successful inclusive economic growth strategy advantaging businesses throughout the state, including historically underserved business groups such as minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses, and hard to serve areas of the state such as low wealth, rural, and disaster-impacted communities.
(b) In order for the state to fully leverage the economic opportunities represented by supporting small businesses, it is the intent of the Legislature to facilitate the alignment and, where appropriate, the integration of the statewide network of workforce training centers administered by the community college contract education centers within the existing network of small business technical and financial assistance centers. Training provided through these centers can serve as an important access point for small business employers and higher education.
(c) In order to better serve the workforce training needs of employers and workers, it is the intent of the Legislature to build upon existing coordination efforts between successful programs at the Employment Training Panel, the California Community Colleges, and California’s local workforce development boards. Recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is placing increased pressure to upskill unemployed and incumbent workers. A more robust regional education and training system is better able to meet the range of workforce needs of business and industry.

SEC. 2.

 Section 13997.3 is added to the Government Code, to read:

13997.3.
 (a) The Employment Training Panel shall establish a pilot program to serve the employment training needs of small businesses. The pilot program shall leverage the capacity of the existing statewide network of community college contract education centers operating with multiple employer contracts.
(b) The Employment Training Panel shall develop the pilot program to achieve all of the following purposes:
(1) To support the upskilling of the regional workforce to meet the demand for jobs in essential industry sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the emerging and dominant industry sectors in the post-COVID-19 economy.
(2) To strengthen the linkages between higher education institutions and employers.
(3) To enhance the linkages between regional education and training system partners and the regional small business financial and technical assistance centers.
(4) To gain real-time information on the coursework small businesses are requesting and accessing to meet their workforce development needs. This information shall be used to help inform community college districts and local workforce development boards in their development of career pathways and development of not-for-credit and noncredit pathways towards credit certificate or degree programs or professional certification.
(5) To test innovative solutions to advancing the competitiveness of the small business, while also providing career advancement of the new and incumbent workers. This may include, but is not limited to, career pathways and stackable credentials leading to a longer term credential for workers who traditional programs may not have sufficiently served, including women, people of color, veterans, lower skill workers, the rural workforce, and residents of lower income neighborhoods.
(c) (1) In developing the program, the Employment Training Panel shall consult with key workforce and economic development partners, including, but not limited to, the Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and the California Workforce Development Board.
(2) The Employment Training Panel may establish one or more ad hoc advisory groups of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, businesses, workers, economic developers, chambers of commerce, local workforce boards, small business technical assistance centers, and public entities.
(3) The Employment Training Panel, its partners, and stakeholders shall discuss how:
(A) Demand-driven coursework can be used to propel workers along a career pathway that allows them to stack their learnings and credentials to help them further their progress to a degree or higher skilled credentials.
(B) Demand-driven workforce training course data can better inform the development of new and modification of existing career pathways, including development of not-for-credit and noncredit pathways towards credit certificate or degree program attainment.
(d) Where known, a worker shall be informed as to how the training offered through the pilot is aligned with one or more career pathways and what, if any, additional steps are necessary for the worker to earn a certificate or credential, or receive academic credit, where applicable.
(e) All data collected from the pilot program shall be inputted into the Employment Training Panel’s data tracking system.
(f) The Employment Training Panel shall submit to the appropriate legislative committees, in compliance with Section 9795, both of the following reports:
(1) Six months from initial funding, a progress report on the implementation of the program.
(2) On or before October 1, 2022, a report on program activities since the prior report.
(g) The reports required pursuant to subdivision (f) shall, in addition, include:
(1) A description of how the funding complemented the work of, and integrated the employers and individuals being served with, the broader workforce, education, and employment system.
(2) A description of how the funding complemented the work of, and, where appropriate, introduced the employers to the services available through the network of small business technical and financial assistance centers and other local and regional business development partners.
(3) A description of how the training influenced the development of career pathways within the region and discussion of not-for-credit and noncredit coursework to longer term career pathways in credit certificate and degree programs, where applicable.
(4) A profile on businesses and workers participating in the pilot, which shall include all of the following:
(A) The number and percentage of workers who enroll and complete course and program training by race, gender, region, and age.
(B) Outcomes of training participants, including employment, wages, and industry of employment. Industry sector shall be based on information reported by the employer.
(C) Participation of small businesses, including size, region, and sector of business, as reported by the business.
(5) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the pilot project in meeting small business rapid reemployment training needs, upskilling of workers, and assisting workers in accessing longer term career pathways. The evaluation shall also include specific recommendations for strategies to improve the effectiveness of the program.
(h) This section shall become operative only upon the Legislature making an appropriation to implement the provisions of this section.
(i) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.