S.Amdt. 2553

SA 2553. Mr. HEINRICH (for himself, Mr. Moran, and Mr. Lujan)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2137
proposed by Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Sinema (for herself, Mr. Portman, Mr.
Manchin, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Collins, Mr. Tester, Ms.
Murkowski, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Romney)) to the bill H.R. 3684, to
authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and
transit programs, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on
the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in division G, insert the
following:

TITLE __--CHAMPIONING APPRENTICESHIPS FOR NEW CAREERS AND EMPLOYEES IN
TECHNOLOGY

SEC. _____1. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the ``Championing
Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in Technology
Act'' or the ``CHANCE in TECH Act''.

SEC. _____2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) During any given 90-day period there can be more than
500,000 information technology job openings in the United
States.
(2) Employment in the technology sector is growing twice as
fast as employment in the United States.
(3) Jobs in the technology sector tend to provide higher
pay and better benefits than other jobs and have been more
resilient to economic downturn than jobs available in other
private sector industries.
(4) Information technology skills are transferrable across
nearly all industries.
(5) Exceptional education and on-the-job training programs
exist and should be scaled to meet the demands of the modern
technology workforce.
(6) Adoption of existing employer-driven intermediary
models, such as ApprenticeshipUSA under the Department of
Labor, will help grow the information technology workforce.
(7) Career pathway education should start in high school
through pathways and programs of study that align with local
and regional employer needs.
(8) Preparing a student for a job in the technology sector
is essential to the growth and competitiveness of the economy
in the United States in the 21st Century.
(9) Nearly 800,000 information technology workers will
retire between 2017 and 2024.
(10) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in May
2020, the median annual wage for computer and information
technology occupations was $91,250, which was higher than the
median annual wage for all occupations of $41,950.

SEC. _____3. TECHNOLOGY APPRENTICESHIP CONTRACTS.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Labor (referred to in
this section as ``the Secretary'') shall enter into contracts
with industry intermediaries for the purpose of promoting the
development of and access to apprenticeships in the
technology sector, from amounts appropriated under subsection
(e).
(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to be awarded a contract
under this section, an industry intermediary shall submit an
application to the Secretary, at such time and in such a
manner as may be required by the Secretary, that identifies
proposed activities designed to further the purpose described
in subsection (a).
(c) Selection.--The Secretary shall award contracts under
this section based on competitive criteria to be prescribed
by the Secretary.
(d) Contractor Activities.--An industry intermediary that
is awarded a contract under this section may only use the
funds made available through such contract to carry out
activities designed to further the purpose described in
subsection (a), including--
(1) facilitating the provision and development of
apprenticeships in the technology sector through
collaborations with public and private entities that provide
job-related instruction, such as on-the-job training, pre-
apprenticeship training, and technical training;
(2) encouraging entities to establish such apprenticeships;
(3) identifying, assessing, and training applicants for
such apprenticeships who are--
(A) enrolled in high school;
(B) enrolled in an early college high school that focuses
on education in STEM subjects;
(C) individuals aged 18 years or older who meet appropriate
qualification standards; or
(D) enrolled in pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship
training initiatives that allow adults to concurrently
increase academic and workforce skills through proven,
evidence-based models that connect all learning to the
specific apprenticeship involved and significantly accelerate
completion of preparation for the apprenticeship; and
(4) tracking the progress of such applicants who
participate in such apprenticeships.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to

[[Page S5879]]

the Secretary such sums as may be necessary for the purposes
of carrying out this section.

SEC. _____4. CHANCE IN TECH AWARDS FOR 21ST CENTURY SCHOOLS.

(a) Awards Authorized.--The Secretary of Education may
issue awards, to be known as ``CHANCE in TECH Awards for 21st
Century Schools'', to schools (referred to in this section as
``covered schools'') that--
(1) are secondary schools or junior or community colleges;
and
(2) demonstrate high achievement in providing students
necessary skills to compete in the 21st century workforce.
(b) Criteria.--In selecting a covered school for an award
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall take into account--
(1) the availability of STEM, career and technical
education, and computer technology courses at the covered
school;
(2) State academic assessments, as described in section
111(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)), of students at the covered
school in STEM subjects;
(3) any coordination between the covered school and local
and regional employers in the technology sector for the
purpose of providing work-based learning programs such as
apprenticeships and internships; and
(4) the availability of individualized plans provided by
the covered school to students relating to postsecondary
education or training, career paths, and financial aid.

SEC. _____5. FUNDING.

(a) Fiscal Year 2021.--Amounts made available to the
Secretary of Labor under the Department of Labor
Appropriations Act, 2021 to carry out the Act referred to in
section _____6(1) may be used to carry out this title.
(b) Subsequent Years.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this title such sums as may be
necessary for fiscal year 2022 and each subsequent fiscal
year.

SEC. _____6. DEFINITIONS.

In this title:
(1) Apprenticeship.--The term ``apprenticeship'' means an
apprenticeship registered under the Act of August 16, 1937
(commonly known as the ``National Apprenticeship Act''; 50
Stat. 664, chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
(2) Career and technical education.--The term ``career and
technical education'' has the meaning given such term in
section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).
(3) Early college high school.--The term ``early college
high school'' has the meaning given such term in section 8101
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801).
(4) High school.--The term ``high school'' has the meaning
given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(5) Industry intermediary.--The term ``industry
intermediary'' means an entity that--
(A) in order to accelerate apprenticeship program
development and helps establish new apprenticeship
partnerships at the national, State, or regional level,
serves as a conduit between an employer and an entity, such
as--
(i) an industry partner;
(ii) the Department of Labor; and
(iii) a State agency responsible for workforce development
programs;
(B) demonstrates a capacity to work with employers and
other key partners to identify workforce trends and foster
public-private funding to establish new apprenticeship
programs; and
(C) is an entity such as--
(i) a business;
(ii) a consortium of businesses;
(iii) a business-related nonprofit organization, including
industry associations and business federations;
(iv) a private organization functioning as a workforce
intermediary for the express purpose of serving the needs of
businesses, including community-based nonprofit service
providers and industry-aligned training providers; or
(v) a consortium of any of the entities described in
clauses (i) through (iv).
(6) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given
such term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1002).
(7) Junior or community college.--The term ``junior or
community college'' has the meaning given the term in section
312(f) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1058(f)).
(8) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational
agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 8101 of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).
(9) Secondary school.--The term ``secondary school'' has
the meaning given such term in section 8101 of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(10) State educational agency.--The term ``State
educational agency'' has the meaning given such term in
section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(11) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
(12) Technology sector.--The term ``technology sector''
means the industry sector involved in the design or
development of hardware, software, or security of digital
data.
______