New Jersey-2024-A134-Introduced

An Act establishing a Nuclear Energy Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources Pilot Program, supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. As used in this section:

"Department" means the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

"Eligible applicant" means a business, labor organization, college or university, workforce training provider, non-profit organization, public utility, local government entity or authority, trade organization, or other entity that offers or plans to offer a nuclear energy-related apprenticeship program accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor, and that has partnered with an industry to offer or fund that apprenticeship program.

"Program participant" or "participant" means a person who participates in an apprenticeship program operating pursuant to the Nuclear Energy Pilot Program.

"Nuclear Energy Pilot Program" or "program" means the Nuclear Energy Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources Pilot Program established pursuant to this act.

b. There is established in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development a five-year Nuclear Energy Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources ("Nuclear Energy") Pilot Program, which shall provide grants to support funding for adult apprenticeship programs in nuclear energy infrastructure, nuclear energy utilities, and other nuclear energy-related sectors, including, but not limited to, those sectors employing radioactive waste workers, and those sectors focusing on underserved and underrepresented communities. A grant may extend beyond one year in duration. To be eligible for a grant, the relevant apprenticeship program shall be accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor, or shall be in the process of obtaining that accreditation. The Nuclear Energy Pilot Program shall be administered by the Office of Apprenticeship in the department. The program shall coordinate with the Center for Workforce Innovation in Construction established by the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development as part of the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative.

c. To apply for a grant, an eligible applicant shall submit a Nuclear Energy Pilot Program application to the Office of Apprenticeship, which shall include documentation demonstrating that the apprenticeship program the applicant is sponsoring either is or will be accredited and approved by the United States Department of Labor. Any organizational sponsor of an apprenticeship program, including, but not limited to, a business, labor organization, college or university, workforce training provider, non-profit organization, public utility, local government entity or authority, or trade organization, shall be eligible to receive a Nuclear Energy Pilot Program grant.

d. No later than six months after the effective date of this act, the department shall begin accepting grant applications from eligible applicants for the Nuclear Energy Pilot Program, and initial grant awards shall be approved and awarded no later than one year after the effective date of this act, using funds allocated to the program. The department shall rank eligible applicants based upon its consideration of:

(1) each applicant's potential to:

(a) reach a broad audience through its recruitment and outreach efforts;

(b) significantly increase enrollment in, and completion of, the apprenticeship program by program participants, including by members of underserved and underrepresented communities; and

(2) the applicant's partnership with an industry for which apprenticeship programs targeted at training and providing skilled workers who have the ability to perform jobs in that industry have demonstrated positive outcomes.

e. (1) An eligible applicant shall be required to demonstrate that the applicant intends and is prepared to contribute the applicant's own financial resources to the apprenticeship program and has secured an industry partner or a monetary or in-kind contribution, including conditional job placement guarantees, from an industry partner. Moreover, each eligible applicant shall provide documentation of:

(a) the apprenticeship program's curriculum, location, and skills to be taught;

(b) the recruitment efforts that will be used to promote and facilitate enrollment in the apprenticeship program, and projected enrollment rates, both with and without receipt of grant funds;

(d) information on specific industry needs or gaps in the workforce that will be addressed by the apprenticeship program;

(e) costs to operate the apprenticeship program; and

(f) any other information the department requires.

(2) An eligible applicant who receives a grant pursuant to this section shall:

(a) partner with schools, utilities, nuclear energy purveyors, and other nuclear energy employers to effectively market available apprenticeship opportunities;

(b) strengthen local hiring preferences in support of more minority and women business enterprises; and

f. An eligible applicant who is selected by the department to receive a grant for the purpose of funding an apprenticeship program in accordance with this act, shall, on an annual basis for so long as the grant is provided, submit a written report, to the commissioner, identifying the number of participants enrolled in the program, the number of participants who have completed the program, the number of participants who have obtained employment as a result of the program, and any other information the commissioner may require.

g. One year after the effective date of this act, and each year thereafter for the duration of the Nuclear Energy Pilot Program, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development shall submit to the Governor, and to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a report that evaluates the results of the program and its effectiveness both in preparing individuals to meet existing and burgeoning workforce needs and in addressing skills gaps in the workforce. Each report shall:

(1) include a recommendation regarding whether to renew the Nuclear Energy Pilot Program, and, if renewal is recommended, an indication as to whether the program should be expanded or otherwise enhanced;

(2) identify the number of grants awarded in the prior year, including the amount, recipient, and duration of each grant;

(3) identify the number of individuals who enrolled in and completed an apprenticeship program offered by each grant recipient;

(4) identify the number of individuals who obtained employment in a position that uses the skills for which they were trained by the grant recipient, or in a position for which the completion of the apprenticeship program was a condition of employment; and

(5) include all relevant information provided by grant recipients regarding the measurable outcomes of program participants.

h. Grant funds awarded pursuant to this act shall not be used , by a grant recipient, for any activities that:

(1) replace, supplant, compete with, or duplicate, in any way, any existing and approved apprenticeship program;

(2) induce, encourage, or assist: (a) any displacement of currentlyemployed workers by program participants, including partial displacement such as when currently employed workers are subject to a reduction in the number of their working hours; (b) any replacement of laid-off workers by program participants; or (c) the relocation of workplace operations in a manner that results in a loss of employment at a previously existing workplace; or

(3) impair existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements, except that activities that would be inconsistent with the terms of a collective bargaining agreement may be undertaken with the written concurrence of the collective bargaining unit and the employer or employers who are parties to the agreement.

2. There is established in the Department of the Treasury a special non-lapsing fund to be known as the Nuclear Energy Fund. The fund shall consist of all monies appropriated by the Legislature for inclusion in the fund, investment earnings of the fund, and moneys contributed to the fund by private sources, to be used for the purposes of this act. The moneys in the fund shall be invested and reinvested by the Department of the Treasury. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development shall solicit grants and donations to the fund from interested public or private sources.

3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Nuclear Energy Fund established pursuant to section 2 of this act the sum of $1,000,000 to effectuate the purposes of this act.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill would create a five-year Nuclear Energy Apprenticeship, Training, and Employment Resources ("Nuclear Energy") Pilot Program in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) to provide grants to support funding for newly-established adult apprenticeship programs in the nuclear energy infrastructure, nuclear energy utilities, and other nuclear energy-related sectors, including radioactive waste workers and those sectors focusing on underserved and underrepresented communities. Any organizational sponsor of an apprenticeship program, including a business, labor organization, college or university, workforce training provider, non-profit organization, public utility, local government entity or authority, or trade organization, would be eligible to receive a grant, provided that they have secured an industry partner or a monetary or in-kind funding contribution.

Under the bill, the program is required to coordinate with the Center for Workforce Innovation in Construction established by the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development as part of the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative.

The DOLWD will be required to begin accepting grant applications not more than six months after the effective date of this bill, and initial grant awards are to be issued no later than one year after the bill's effective date. The DOLWD would be required to rank eligible applicants for grants based upon each applicant's potential to: (1) reach a broad audience through its recruitment and outreach efforts; (2) significantly increase enrollment in, and the completion of, the apprenticeship program, including among members of underserved and underrepresented communities; and (3) fill existing needs for skilled workers in the market.

One year after the bill's effective date, and each year thereafter for the duration of the pilot grant program, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development would be required to submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report that evaluates the results of the Nuclear Energy Pilot Program and its effectiveness.

The bill would create a special, non-lapsing fund in the Department of the Treasury, which would be known as the "Nuclear Energy Fund," and which would be used to collect and invest moneys for the purposes of the bill. The bill would also direct the Department of the Treasury to solicit grants and donations to the fund from interested public or private sources. The bill appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to the Nuclear Energy Fund to effectuate the purposes of this bill.