SB 845: Pupil instruction: career technical education, career education, and apprenticeships.

Session Year: 2025-2026
House: Senate
Latest Version Date: 2026-06-08

Current Status:

In Progress

(2026-06-18: Assembly Rule 56 suspended.)

Introduced

In Committee

First Chamber

In Committee

Second Chamber

Enacted

Version:

(1)Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to coordinate the development, on a cyclical basis, of model curriculum standards for required courses of study, including a career technical education course of study, for pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent to set forth these standards in terms of a wide range of specific competencies in each academic subject area, as specified. Existing law requires the Superintendent to seek the advice of classroom teachers, school administrators, parents, postsecondary educators, and representatives of business and industry in developing these standards.This bill would require the Superintendent to set forth those standards in terms of a wide range of specific competencies in each career technical education subject area, as specified. The bill would require the Superintendent to seek the advice of career technical classroom teachers, instead of classroom teachers generally, and to also seek the advice of representatives of labor, in developing those career technical education standards. The bill would require the Superintendent to recommend policies for consideration and adoption by the State Board of Education that ensure career technical education courses are provided with up-to-date industry standards, and would authorize the Superintendent to develop curricular guidance to support the implementation of the career technical education standards, as provided. The bill would define cyclical basis, for purposes of the development of career technical education standards, as a period not exceeding 5 years.Existing law requires the Superintendent, upon adoption of the model curriculum standards for required courses of study for pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to develop a curriculum framework that offers a blueprint for implementation of career and technical education. Existing law requires the Superintendent to, in developing the framework, work in consultation and coordination with a specified advisory group.This bill would require the Superintendent to also maintain a curriculum framework developed for implementation of career technical education. The bill would require the Superintendent, in developing and updating the career technical education model curriculum standards and framework on a cyclical basis, to work in consultation and coordination with career technical education industry advisory groups consistent with the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 State Plan, and would require the State Department of Education to convene an advisory group for each career technical education industry sector-specific subject area for those pupils, as specified. The bill would make other changes regarding the development of those standards and the framework, including defining cyclical basis as a period not exceeding 5 years, as specified.

(1)Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to authorize a pupil who meets specified criteria to attend community college. Existing law requires a pupil to receive credit for community college courses that the pupil completes at the level determined appropriate by the governing boards of the school district and community college district.

This bill would authorize a pupil concurrently enrolled in specified community college courses to participate in work-based learning activities, as provided.

(2)Existing law authorizes a group of students to organize a student body association within the public schools with the approval of and subject to the control and regulation of the governing board of the school district, as specified.

This bill would authorize an above-described student body organization to operate a school-based enterprise program, as provided.

(2)

(3)Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district maintaining a high school to (A) establish courses of work-based learning or work experience education to provide pupils with instruction in the skills, attitudes, and understanding necessary for success in employment, (B) provide guidance and supervision procedures to ensure maximum educational benefit to pupils from placement in suitable work-based learning or work experience education courses, (C) provide for arranging, approving, coordinating, and awarding credit for work-based learning or work experience education courses, and employing personnel for purposes of providing that credit, and (D) provide or require pupils to acquire liability insurance for off-school-grounds work experience programs.

This bill would extend the above-described authorizations provided by the governing boards of school districts to the governing boards or bodies of county offices of education, and charter schools. The bill would define work-based learning and work experience education for purposes of those authorizations, would make other changes to those authorizations, and would make various other changes to law relating to work-based learning, as specified.

Existing law authorizes work-based learning opportunities for pupils to be delivered by partnership academies, regional occupational programs, and local educational agencies, as specified. Existing law authorizes those opportunities to include work experience education, community classrooms, cooperative career technical education programs, and job shadowing experience, as specified.

This bill would authorize work-based learning activities, instead of work-based learning opportunities, to be delivered by those entities, would authorize work-based learning activities to also be delivered by state special schools, and would authorize work-based learning activities to include on-the-job training in certain school-based registered apprenticeships, internships, and mentorships. The bill would instead authorize work-based learning activities to be offered through work experience education courses, community classrooms, cooperative career technical education programs, early college credit courses, and other academic courses, among other related changes, as specified.

Existing law requires the governing boards of school districts to grant credit to pupils enrolled in grade 11 or a higher grade for completing a work experience education program, as specified.

This bill would extend to pupils enrolled in grade 10 the granting of credit for completing a work experience education program to the same extent granted to pupils in grade 11 or a higher grade. To the extent that the bill would impose new duties on school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would require the State Department of Education, using existing systems and capabilities, to collect and maintain data on work-based learning, work experience education, and work permits issued by local educational agencies, and school-based registered apprenticeship programs, as specified.

Existing law requires the governing board of each school district opting to expend targeted instructional improvement block grant funding or accepting other funds for this purpose to provide a series of career technical education programs, each offering a sequence of courses leading to specific competencies, as specified. Existing law requires those governing boards to also develop and implement plans for articulation of career education courses with community colleges to extend the sequence of courses through grades 13 and 14.

For

This bill would replace the targeted instructional improvement block grant funding or other accepted funds with local control funding formula funding or career technical education funding in the above-described provision, as specified. For governing boards of school districts opting to expend targeted instructional improvement block grant funding or accepting other funds local control funding formula funding or career technical education funding, if allowable, for this purpose, this the bill would require those governing boards to offer, within each series of career technical education programs, a sequence of at least 2 courses leading to those specific competencies. The bill would require those governing board plans with community colleges to instead regard articulation of career technical education courses to establish opportunities for pupils to earn college credit and meet prerequisite requirements for community college career education certificates and degree programs, and to align the sequence of courses through grades 13 and 14.

Existing law provides for apprenticeship programs within the Division of Apprenticeship Standards within the Department of Industrial Relations, sponsored by specific entities and employers, and requires the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to perform various functions with respect to apprenticeship programs and the welfare of apprentices.This bill would authorize the State Department of Education to, in collaboration with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, convene an interagency workgroup composed of representatives of certain state agencies for specified purposes, including, among others, establishing guidance for school-based youth apprenticeship programs registered with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.This bill would authorize the division, in collaboration with the department, to adopt policies, rules, and regulations as reasonably necessary to (A) maintain the educational purpose and character of youth apprenticeship programs for in-school youth, (B) determine an expedited adoption and approval process for new youth apprenticeship programs, and (C) determine minimum requirements and guidance for high school-based youth apprenticeship programs, as provided.

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a high school district, the governing board of a joint powers regional occupational center or program, or a county superintendent of schools that conducts a county-operated regional occupational center or program to establish and maintain cooperative career technical education programs or community classrooms as part of a career technical education course, as provided.

This bill would authorize the above-described cooperative career technical education programs or community classrooms to include work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law creates within the State Department of Education an agricultural career technical education unit to assist school districts in establishing and maintaining career technical education programs in agriculture, as provided. Existing law requires the curriculum of school districts that choose to participate in the state program of agricultural career technical education to include organized classes in the study of agricultural science and technology, a student-supervised occupational experience program in agriculture, and a program of leadership, organization, and personal development.

This bill would authorize funding provided for the above-described purposes to be used to support agricultural career technical education programs that provide work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law establishes the Golden State Pathways Program to promote pathways in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas, including technology, health care, education, and climate-related fields that, among other things, allow pupils to advance seamlessly from high school to college and career and provide the workforce needed for economic growth. Existing law appropriates $500,000,000 from the General Fund to the department to competitively award grant funds to local educational agencies, defined as school districts, charter schools, county offices of education, or regional occupational centers or programs operated by a joint powers authority or county office of education, for purposes of the program, and makes these funds available for encumbrance until June 30, 2029.

This bill would authorize Golden State Pathways Program grants to be awarded to pathways programs that provide work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law establishes the California Partnership Academies and finds and declares that partnership academies have proven to be highly effective state-school-private sector partnerships that combine academic and vocational training for high school pupils who present a high risk of dropping out of school, and motivate them to stay in school and graduate. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue grants to school districts, as specified, to plan, establish, and maintain these academies. Existing law requires the Superintendent to establish eligibility criteria for school districts that apply for these grants.

This bill would authorize funding provided for these academies to be used to support those academies that provide work-based learning opportunities, as provided.

Existing law provides that an essential component of transition services for individuals with exceptional needs is the project workability program that provides instruction and experiences that reinforce core curriculum concepts and skills leading to gainful employment. Existing law requires the Superintendent to develop criteria for awarding grants, funding, and evaluating workability projects, and requires project workability project applications to include specified elements.

This bill would authorize transition and employment preparation services under the project workability program to include work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways partnership with the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school with the goal of developing seamless pathways from high school to community college for career technical education or preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates, or helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness.

This bill would authorize a College and Career Access Pathways partnership agreement to include work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law authorizes the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, to the extent that funds are available, to establish internship training programs and actively support apprenticeship training programs in collaboration with the Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

This bill would authorize programs and partnerships established under the above-described provisions to include work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law provides funding for the Strong Workforce Program and a K12 component of the Strong Workforce Program with the purpose of creating, maintaining, supporting, encouraging, strengthening, and expanding the delivery of career technical education programs in the state, as provided.

This bill would authorize Strong Workforce Program funds to be used to support career technical education programs that provide work-based learning activities, as provided.

Existing law requires the Division of Apprenticeship Standards to develop a process to approve preapprenticeship programs, as specified. Existing law requires a program seeking approval as a preapprenticeship program to submit to the division a request for approval that includes documentation evidencing that the programs preapprenticeship training activities are conducted in partnership with an apprenticeship program approved by the division.

This bill would authorize a preapprenticeship program seeking approval to instead include documentation evidencing that the programs preapprenticeship training activities are conducted with approval by a local building and construction trades council of the use of the multicraft core curriculum for the preapprenticeship program.

(3)

(4) 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.

Discussed in Hearing