AB 296: Apprenticeship fairs.

Existing law provides for the establishment of apprenticeship programs in various trades, to be approved by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards within the Department of Industrial Relations in any trade in the state or in a city or trade area whenever the apprentice training needs justify the establishment. Existing law requires a school district or school to notify each apprenticeship program in the same county as the school district or school of a career or college fair it is planning to hold, as specified. Existing law provides that the Legislature encourages school districts and schools to host apprenticeship fair events, as provided.

This bill would delete the above-specified provision regarding the Legislatures encouragement to school districts and schools and would, instead, require school districts and schools to host at least one apprenticeship fair event during each school year, as specified. By creating new requirements of schools and school districts, this bill would establish a state-mandated local program.

Existing law requires a pupil to complete designated coursework while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, in order to receive a diploma of graduation from high school. Existing law authorizes a governing board of a school district to adopt other prescribed coursework requirements.

This bill would require, if the governing board of a school district requires the completion of community service hours as a requirement for graduation from high school, a school district to provide a pupil with one hour of credit towards the required community service hours for attendance at a college fair, career fair, or apprenticeship fair.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.