Bill Text: CA AB2003 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: California Workforce Development Board: model career pathways.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2022-09-22 - Vetoed by Governor. [AB2003 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AB2003-Enrolled.html
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Enrolled
August 26, 2022 |
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Passed
IN
Senate
August 24, 2022 |
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Passed
IN
Assembly
May 26, 2022 |
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Amended
IN
Assembly
March 17, 2022 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2003
| Introduced by Assembly Member Mike Fong |
February 14, 2022 |
An act to add and repeal Article 5 (commencing with 14075) of Chapter 3 of Division 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, relating to workforce development.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2003, Mike Fong.
California Workforce Development Board: model career pathways.
Existing law establishes the California Workforce Development Board for purposes of assisting the Governor in, among other things, promoting the development of a well-educated and highly skilled 21st century workforce and the development of a high road economy that offers an educated and skilled workforce with fair compensation and treatment in the workplace, and developing standards, procedures, and criteria for defining high road employers, high road jobs, high road workforce development, and high road training partnerships, as specified. Existing law provides that the workforce investment system shall be guided by, among other things, making programs and services accessible to individuals with employment barriers, such as persons with economic, physical, or other barriers to employment, and the
adoption of local and regional training and education strategies which include workplace-based earn and learn programs.
This bill would, until March 1, 2026, require the board to facilitate the development of a series of model career pathways that build upon the basic skill sets of workers who are employed in essential worker occupations, as defined, to support their career advancement into high road occupations. The bill would require the board to, among other things, include earn and learn programs where appropriate in model career pathways, consider how model career pathways may be accessed by essential workers who meet the conditions of being individuals with employment barriers, and encourage collaboration and engagement by and with various other state and local partners. The bill would require the board to publish, no later than May 1, 2023, a list of at least the first four essential worker occupations from which model career pathways will be developed.
The bill would require, starting no later than July 1, 2023, and every six months thereafter, the board to include information on the progress of the model career pathways on the agenda of the regularly scheduled meeting of the board. The bill would require written notice be provided to the Legislature at least 15 calendar days prior to that board meeting, and then distributed by the Chief Clerk of the Assembly and the Secretary of the Senate, as specified.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Career Pathways for Essential Workers Act of 2022.SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares the following:(a) While many white-collar workers transitioned to remote work schedules, millions of low-wage essential workers faced daily COVID-19 exposure with little recognition or financial compensation for keeping the economy moving forward and allowing others to remain safely at home. California directly benefited from the hard work and dedication of those that comprised the state’s essential workforce, including grocery store clerks, restaurant workers, package and food delivery drivers, warehouse
workers, farmworkers, and health care aides, among others.
(b) Research shows that a majority of essential workers are employed in health care (30 percent), food and agriculture (20 percent), and the industrial, commercial, residential facilities and services industry (12 percent). Women comprise more than a majority of essential frontline workers (64.4 percent) and nearly a quarter of essential workers earn wages 200 percent below the federal poverty line (23 percent). People of color make up the majority of essential workers in food and agriculture (50 percent) and in industrial, commercial, residential facilities and services (53 percent). Nearly 70 percent of essential workers do not have a college degree. Three in 10 essential workers have some college (30 percent) or a high school diploma (29 percent). One in 10 have less than a high school diploma.
(c) It is therefore the
intent of the Legislature to acknowledge these heroic efforts by calling for the articulation of career pathways from essential occupations to high road jobs. While there are isolated examples of career pathways which begin with certain essential worker occupations, the state would benefit from the amplification of these efforts into model career pathways that could be used to inform the work of the state’s education and workforce development systems. Model career pathways will also help align resources, encourage regional and industry partnerships, eliminate duplicative work, and fast-track the adoption of locally appropriate career pathways uniquely designed to create on ramps for essential workers to high road jobs.
SEC. 3.
Article 5 (commencing with Section 14075) is added to Chapter 3 of Division 7 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, to read:Article 5. Career Pathways for Essential Workers Act of 2022
14075.
(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:(1) “Board” means the California Workforce Development Board.
(2) “Essential worker occupations” are occupations which meet both of the following criteria:
(A) The occupation is included on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers list.
(B) The occupation requires very limited formal education or certifications, including those that are open to individuals who have no more than a high school diploma, equivalent, or less of formal education.
(3) “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers list” means the list prepared by the California State Public Health Officer in response to Executive Order No. N-33-20 that designates workers who are needed to help state, local, tribal, and industry partners as they work to protect communities, while ensuring continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security.
(b) (1) The California Workforce Development Board shall facilitate the development of a series of model career pathways that build upon the basic skill sets of workers who are employed in essential worker occupations. The purpose of developing the model career pathways is to help guide and inform the local and regional adoption of career pathways that support career advancement of essential workers that lead to high road occupations.
(2) Where appropriate, a model career pathway shall include earn and learn programs that utilize both applied learning in a workplace setting with compensation that allows workers or students to gain work experience and secure a wage as they develop skills and competencies directly relevant to the occupation or career for which they are preparing.
(3) In developing the model career pathways, the board shall consider how model career pathways may be accessed by essential workers who meet the conditions of being individuals with employment barriers, as defined in Section 14005. Strategies within a model career pathway may include, but are not limited to, supplemental, supportive, remedial, and wraparound services that are needed for the individual to successfully enter, participate in, and complete workforce and education programs and enter, be retained, and advance in the labor market
to a high road occupation.
(4) The board shall, no later than May 1, 2023, publish a list of at least the first four essential worker occupations from which model career pathways will be developed. In order to not duplicate work and encourage identification of best existing practices, the development of each of the model career pathways shall include, but not be limited to, a public notice and request for information on existing career pathways and best practices that relate to the purposes of this section.
(5) For the purpose of meeting the requirements of this subdivision, the board shall encourage collaboration and engagement by and with other state and local partners, including, but not limited to, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, the State Department of Education, other appropriate state agencies, local workforce development boards, community college
districts and individual campuses, contract education centers, organizations and representatives of labor and industry, employment social enterprises, community-based organizations, and economic and workforce professionals.
(6) The board may seek assistance from other state agencies, or contract with private entities, as needed for the purpose of meeting the requirements of this subdivision.
(c) On or before July 1, 2023, and every six months thereafter, the board shall include on the agenda of the regularly scheduled board meeting information on the progress of the model career pathways for essential workers. Written notice shall be provided to the Legislature at least 15 calendar days prior to the board meeting in which progress of the model career pathways will be discussed. Upon receiving the notice, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly shall distribute the notice to the Assembly
Committee on Labor and Employment, the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, and the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy, and the Secretary of the Senate shall distribute the notice to the Senate Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement.
(d) This article shall remain in effect only until March 1, 2026, and as of that date is repealed.
