Apprenticeships to College Act
The Apprenticeships to College Act would create a federal framework to better connect apprenticeship programs with higher education. It requires the Department of Labor and the Department of Education to enter into an interagency agreement within one year that promotes integration of the national apprenticeship system with secondary, postsecondary, and adult education. The bill establishes a Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium—comprising postsecondary institutions, instruction providers, sponsors, intermediaries, and employers—aimed at strengthening credit transfer and articulation between apprenticeship programs and 2- and 4-year colleges. It also pushes for data sharing on how participants who receive federal financial aid enroll in or complete postsecondary coursework during apprenticeships, alignment of funding and program requirements across major federal education and training laws, and technical assistance and information to participants. Participation is voluntary for both colleges and apprenticeship sponsors, and the bill directs a publicly accessible website to share consortium information and models for credit transfer and competency-based curricula.
Key Points
- 1Interagency agreement within one year between the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education to promote integration of the apprenticeship system with secondary, postsecondary, and adult education, including data sharing on Title IV financial aid enrollment and completion.
- 2Creation of the Registered Apprenticeship College Consortium to bring together postsecondary institutions, instruction providers, sponsors, intermediaries, and employers to strengthen connections and facilitate credit transfer between apprenticeship programs and colleges.
- 3Requirements for consortium participants to enter articulation agreements with apprenticeship sponsors and to develop or expand the awarding and articulation of academic credits and credentials, including the use of electronic transcripts for related instruction and on-the-job training.
- 4Technical guidance and assistance on eligible uses of federal financial aid (including work-study) for related instruction, plus guidance to align funding and requirements of the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Higher Education Act with this Act.
- 5Public information and transparency measures, including a website that lists consortium members, apprenticeship programs, credentials, and occupations, plus models for articulation agreements, prior learning assessments, and competency-based curricula; participation is voluntary for both institutions and sponsors.