Report 2016-110 Recommendation Responses
Report 2016-110: Trade Apprenticeship Programs: The State Needs to Better Oversee Apprenticeship Programs, Such as the Air Conditioning Trade Association's Sheet Metal Program (Release Date: November 2016)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
The Legislature should amend state law to provide the apprenticeship division with explicit authority to verify that as a condition of receiving future grant funds, apprenticeship programs are using state funds solely for training apprentices. In addition, if an apprenticeship program is unable to demonstrate how state funds are used or if it is found to be using funds for inappropriate purposes, the apprenticeship division should have the authority to deregister that particular program.
Description of Legislative Action
Assembly Bill 581 (McCarty, Chapter 553, Statutes of 2017) requires an apprenticeship program, to be eligible to receive grant funds from the California Apprenticeship Council (council), to agree to keep adequate records that document the expenditure of those grant funds and make all records available to Industrial Relations so that Industrial Relations is able to verify that grant funds were used solely for training apprentices. This statute prohibits an apprenticeship program that is unable to demonstrate how grant funds are expended or an apprenticeship program that is found to be using grant funds for purposes other than training apprentices from being eligible to receive any future grant from the council under these provisions and would authorize Industrial Relations to initiate the process to rescind the registration of the apprenticeship program.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: October 2017