WEST virginia Legislature
2017 regular session
By
[
to the Committee on Industry and Labor then Finance.
A BILL to amend the Code
of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated
§5B-2I-1, §5B-2I-2, §5B-2I-3 and §5B-2I-4, all
relating to creating the “Returning Veterans and Displaced Miners Jobs Act”;
providing a short title and legislative findings and declaration; establishing
a Veterans Job Coordinating Team and composition of the team; powers and
duties, including reporting a plan to the Legislature; and providing for
termination of the Veterans Job Coordinating Team unless the Legislature
determines otherwise.
Be it enacted by the
Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West
Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new article,
designated §5B-2I-1 §5B-2I-2, §5B-2I-3 and §5B-2I-4, all to
read as follows:
ARTICLE 2I. RETURNING VETERANS AND DISPLACED MINERS JOBS
ACT.
§5B-2I-1. Short
title.
This article may be
cited as the “Returning Veterans and Displaced Miners Jobs Act.”
§5B-2I-2. Legislative findings and declaration.
The Legislature finds
that our United States Military has increasingly focused on promoting skilled
apprenticeships to help veterans transitioning to the civilian world, and now
provides over twenty percent of the registered apprenticeships in the country.
The teambuilding, problem solving and project management skills honed on the
battlefield translate well to occupations in the construction industry. Nationally
veterans account for five and eight-tenths percent of the overall workforce but
comprise six and nine-tenths percent of all blue-collar construction workers. Programs such as Helmets to Hardhats and the
military’s new emphasis on the United States Military Apprenticeship Program
(USMAP) have made construction employment more and more attractive to military
veterans. They are about four times more likely to be enrolled in a registered
apprenticeship program than civilian workers.
The Legislature further
finds that similarly, West Virginia’s coal miners are proven to be highly
skilled and productive workers. For those who are unable to find employment in
the mines there may be opportunities in the construction industry that require
some related training. West Virginia could improve placement rates of veterans,
displaced coal miners and others in existing registered apprenticeship programs
by promoting apprenticeship opportunities, providing accurate and up-to-date
information about applications times, locations, required documentation and
aptitude tests.
The Legislature further
finds that apprenticeship is a proven method of training that produces highly
skilled workers in many technical occupations. However, there is no statewide
focus on apprenticeship opportunities, and no focus on moving veterans, displaced
coal miners and other workers in need of skilled training into apprenticeship
programs. There is a perception that or non-university education paths are
“second best” in part because our educational and governmental institutions
lack information about the apprenticeship method and available opportunities.
The Legislature declares
that in order to correct this problem, the Returning Veterans and Displaced
Coal Miners Jobs Act established by this article creates the Veterans Job
Coordinating Team (Team) comprised of representatives from existing state
government entities and citizens active in apprenticeship that shall provide
assistance that will lead to the development and promotion of an apprenticeship
model of training and recruitment.
§5B-2I-3. Veterans
Job Coordinating Team.
(a) The Veterans Job
Coordinating Team is hereby established.
(b) The team shall draw
on government administrative resources to ensure a focus on services for apprenticeship
training and certification within the state and local education and
governmental agencies. The team shall
consist, at the minimum, of the following state agencies:
(1) Secretary of the West
Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance, or designee;
(2) Commissioner of the
Bureau of Employment Programs, Division of Work Force Development, or designee;
(3) Secretary of the Department
of Education, or designee;
(4) Commissioner of Division
of Labor, or designee;
(5) Chairperson of the Higher
Education Policy Commission, or designee; and
(6) Four citizen
representative who are familiar with apprenticeship and represent an equal
number of labor and management positions in current apprenticeship programs. In
addition, representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor responsible for
regulating apprenticeship in West Virginia shall be invited to participate.
§5B-2I-4.
Powers, duties, information and reports of Veterans Job Coordinating
Team.
(a) The Governor shall designate
the lead agency to coordinate and preside over meetings, research and the
development of promotion and recruitment for the apprenticeship model of
training. The team shall meet regularly during the year at times designated by
the lead agency
(b) The team shall focus
on informing returning veterans of existing apprenticeship opportunities. There
shall also be a focus on informing unemployed coal miners and other unemployed
or underemployed workers, disadvantaged youth, women and minorities so that
they are aware of apprenticeship opportunities.
(c) Information
regarding the number of existing registered apprenticeship programs, the skills
each program focus on, the requirements for acceptance, the time and location
applications are received, required documentation, required aptitude test, the
cost to apprentices, the average number of apprentices currently in the
program, the average number of new apprentices in the program and other
pertinent information shall be gathered and made available electronically for
public access.
(d) A plan for
disseminating the above information to returning veterans, displaced coal
miners, Work Force placement offices, secondary schools, vocational schools,
community colleges and other locations where employment and training is needed
shall be developed.
(e) The team shall also
devise a plan to carry out the following:
(1) Conducting
apprenticeship training needs assessments with industry, communities, training
providers and intergovernmental agencies,
(2) Promoting
apprenticeship opportunities to diverse audiences, and
(3) Creating and
delivering presentations and participating in the development and promotion of
the apprenticeship model of training and recruitment.
(f) A report shall be
submitted to the Legislature by December 1, 2017, outlining suggested plans,
methods and procedures designed to implement the purposes for which the team
was established.
(e)(g) The functions of Veterans Job Coordinating Team
terminate following the submission of its report to the Legislature, unless the
Legislature determines otherwise.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is
to assist returning veterans and displaced coal miners to find meaningful
employment through quality skills training using the apprenticeship model. The bill creates the “Returning Veterans and
Displaced Miners Jobs Act “and provides a short title, legislative findings and
declaration. It establishes a Veterans
Job Coordinating Team and provides for the composition of the team, together
with its powers and duties. The team is
required to report a plan to the Legislature by December 1, 2017, outlining
suggested plans, methods and procedures designed to implement the purposes for
which the team was established. Finally;
the bill provides for termination of the Veterans Job Coordinating Team unless
the Legislature determines otherwise.
Strike-throughs indicate language
that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring
indicates new language that would be added.