AB 694: Teachers: teacher residency apprenticeship programs.

Under existing law, it is the public policy of this state to encourage the utilization of apprenticeship as a form of on-the-job training, that such training is cost-effective in developing skills needed to perform public services. Existing law requires state and local public agencies to make a diligent effort to establish apprenticeship programs for apprenticeable occupations in their respective workforces. Existing law establishes the Teacher Residency Grant Program and appropriates funds from the General Fund to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to make one-time grants to develop new, or expand, strengthen, or improve access to existing, teacher residency programs that support, among other things, a list of designated shortage fields.

This bill would require the commission to submit the Teacher Residency Grant Program standards for approval as a registered apprenticeship program through the Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the United States Department of Labor and to act as the sponsoring authority for purposes of the state applying for United States Department of Labor grant funding. The bill would authorize a local educational agency with a commission-approved teacher residency program, or a local educational agency, in partnership with an institution of higher education, with a teacher residency apprenticeship program that is not approved by the commission as a teacher residency program, to submit these programs for approval as registered apprenticeship programs with Division of Apprenticeship Standards, the United States Department of Labor, or both of those entities, as provided. The bill would require these approved teacher residency apprenticeship programs to, among other things, work with one or more commission-accredited teacher preparation programs to develop and implement programs of preparation and mentoring for apprentices who will be supported through program funds and subsequently be employed by the local educational agency, and to ensure and provide apprentices with certain instruction and support. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2029.