Relating to work-based learning, including by repealing provisions related to regional industry sector partnerships and the statewide work-based learning intermediary network, establishing the workforce opportunity fund within the department of workforce development, modifying provisions related to career and technical education, student teacher requirements for students with substitute teaching or para-educator experience, the unemployment compensation reserve fund, and the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship program, making appropriations, and including effective date provisions

This bill relates to work-based learning, including by repealing provisions related to regional industry sector partnerships and the statewide work-based learning intermediary network, establishing the workforce opportunity fund within the department of workforce development (IWD), and modifying provisions related to career and technical education, student teacher requirements for students with substitute teaching or para-educator experience, the unemployment compensation reserve fund, and the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship program. DIVISION I —— REGIONAL INDUSTRY SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS AND STATEWIDE WORK-BASED LEARNING INTERMEDIARY NETWORK.15 authorizes community colleges and IWD to use moneys for the pathways for academic career and employment program to provide staff and support for the development and implementation of a regional industry sector partnership within each region served by each community college.15 and makes conforming changes.16 establishes the statewide work-based learning intermediary network program within IWD for the purpose of preparing students for the workforce by facilitating cooperation and collaboration between businesses and entities within the state system of education and offering relevant, work-based learning activities to students and teachers.16 and makes conforming changes. DIVISION II —— CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND WORK-BASED LEARNING. Current law requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to offer and teach, in grades through 12, a minimum of three sequential units in at least four career and technical education service areas.125 (community colleges and post-secondary readiness bureau), as modified by the bill. The bill also provides that instructional programs that include work-based learning may be provided when school is not in session, including during the summer months. The bill requires the board of educational examiners to adopt rules by September 1, 2024, establishing endorsements for instruction related to career and technical fields in schools providing instruction to students enrolled in prekindergarten through grade 12. The bill authorizes the board of educational examiners to adopt emergency rules to implement these provisions. The bill provides that this division takes effect upon enactment. DIVISION III —— STUDENT TEACHING. Current law provides that the student teaching experience provided during a practitioner preparation program shall be a minimum of weeks in duration during the student’s final year of the program. The bill provides that a student shall be credited a minimum of week, but not more than weeks, of prior work experience as a substitute teacher or a para-educator toward the requirements associated with the 14-week student teaching experience, if the board of educational examiners has issued a substitute license or authorization or a paraeducator certificate to the student, the student’s prior work experience took place in the classroom of a cooperating teacher who is appropriately licensed, and the student bears the primary responsibility for planning, instruction, and assessment within the classroom during the student teaching experience. Additionally, the bill provides that a student shall be credited a minimum of week, but not more than weeks, of work experience as a para-educator toward the requirements associated with the 14-week student teaching experience, if the board of educational examiners has issued a para-educator certificate to the student, the student works as a para-educator for at least one-half of each school day during the student teaching experience, the student’s work experience takes place in the classroom of a cooperating teacher who is appropriately licensed, and the student bears the primary responsibility for planning, instruction, and assessment within the classroom during the student teaching experience. DIVISION IV —— CHANGES TO DEFINED TERMS. The bill modifies the definition of “work-based learning” for purposes of the Iowa registered apprenticeship Act, and for purposes of the community colleges and post-secondary readiness bureau within the higher education division of the department of education, to mean opportunities and experiences that include but are not limited to sustained project-based learning in partnership with an employer, simulated work experiences aligned with industry-recognized credentials, high-quality pre-apprenticeships aligned to an apprenticeship, student learner programs, internships, and apprenticeships. The bill also modifies the definitions of “quality pre-apprenticeship program” and “youth apprenticeship” for purposes of the Iowa registered apprenticeship Act. The bill provides that the modifications to the definitions of “quality pre-apprenticeship program” and “youth apprenticeship” take effect upon enactment. DIVISION V —— DEPARTMENT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT —— WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY FUND. The bill establishes a workforce opportunity fund in the state treasury as a separate fund under the control of IWD. The bill provides that the fund shall consist of appropriations made to the fund, any other moneys available to and obtained or accepted by the department from the federal government or private sources for placement in the fund, and transfers of interest, earnings, and moneys from other funds as provided by law. Additionally, the bill appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for the purposes of training and infrastructure related to the growth and maintenance of the state’s workforce programs. The bill establishes that permitted uses of the moneys in the fund include equipment, instructional materials, stipends, and other training-related costs. The bill requires that, on or before December of each year, the department shall submit a report to the general assembly and the legislative services agency that contains a list of all expenditures from the fund made in the previous fiscal year. The bill provides that the legislative services agency is to provide a copy of the report to the co-chairpersons and ranking members of the joint appropriations subcommittee on economic development. The bill provides that any moneys appropriated to IWD for purposes of the unemployment compensation reserve fund that remain unencumbered or unobligated as of July 1, 2024, but not more than $30 million, shall be deposited in the workforce opportunity fund. Additionally, the bill provides that any moneys remaining in the unemployment compensation reserve fund after such deposit shall be transferred to the account of this state in the unemployment trust fund; provided, however, that any interest earned on moneys remaining in the unemployment compensation reserve fund after the deposit are to be transferred to the special employment security contingency fund.9(8) (unemployment compensation reserve fund). DIVISION VI —— FUTURE READY IOWA SKILLED WORKFORCE LAST-DOLLAR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. Current law provides that eligible students may receive a future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship from the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship fund. The scholarship is intended to cover any remaining gap between federal and state grants or scholarships and tuition and certain fees. Under current law, only an “eligible student” participating in an “eligible program”, defined as a program of study or an academic major jointly approved by the college student aid commission and the department of workforce development, in consultation with an eligible institution, that leads to a credential aligned with a high-demand job designated by the workforce development board or a community college, may receive a future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship. The bill provides that “eligible program” shall also include a program of study or an academic major jointly approved by the college student aid commission and IWD that leads to a credential aligned with at least of priority in-demand fields designated by rule adopted by the workforce development board. The bill establishes that, among other additional requirements, an “eligible student” may only receive a future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship if the student has an expected family contribution of less than or equal to $20,000, as determined by the free application for federal student aid. Current law authorizes the college student aid commission to adopt rules, in collaboration with the department of workforce development, for administration of the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship program. The bill establishes that these rules are required to authorize the commission to determine the annual amount of a future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship based on the type of eligible program in which the eligible student is participating. The bill requires the college student aid commission to determine the annual amount of a future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship based on the type of eligible program in which the eligible student is participating. The bill authorizes the college student aid commission to ratably reduce scholarship awards to more closely align with the funds the general assembly has appropriated for purposes of the scholarship program. The bill authorizes the college student aid commission and IWD to adopt emergency rules to implement these provisions.