Bill
AB 345
Adds a conditional-approval pathway to start new apprenticeships within 6 months if DOL approval, employer commitments, and LEA alignment are met, final within 1 year.
Overview
- Purpose: To modify the approval process for new apprenticeship programs within the Division of Apprenticeship Standards (California Department of Industrial Relations) by adding a structured timeline, a conditional-approval mechanism, and explicit completion criteria.
- Introduced: January 29, 2025
- Current status: In committee; Held under submission (as of May 23, 2025)
- Related provisions: Existing law prohibits willful discrimination in recruitment or apprenticeship programs (misdemeanor). The bill expands the framework around program approval and discrimination enforcement.
- Fiscal note: No statewide appropriation; it is considered a state-mandated local program (local agencies may incur costs under the bill’s requirements). Local reimbursement is addressed by constitutional provisions; the act states no reimbursement is required for specified reasons.
Key Provisions
- Completeness review timeline:
- The Division must confirm the completeness of a new apprenticeship program application within 30 days of receipt and notify applicants of any missing components.
- Conditional approval if final determination is not made within 6 months:
- If the chief, in consultation with the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships, has not completed a final determination within six months, the program may receive conditional approval to operate if it meets all of these conditions:
- The program has U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) approval.
- The program has documented employer commitments showing both:
- Capacity to employ apprentices.
- Ability to provide on-the-job training.
- An identified local educational agency (LEA) partner ensures the theoretical instruction meets educational standards.
- Conditional approval is subject to reasonable conditions the Division deems necessary.
- Final determination deadline:
- The chief must issue a final determination on a completed application within one year of its receipt.
- Definitions:
- “Conditional approval” means temporary authorization to operate while final review is ongoing.
- Exclusions:
- The provisions do not apply to apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades or to firefighter programs.
Affecting Parties and Entities
- Division of Apprenticeship Standards (within the California Department of Industrial Relations) — primary administrator of the new process.
- Applicants seeking to establish new apprenticeship programs.
- Employers offering apprenticeships.
- Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) partnering with apprenticeship programs to ensure instructional standards.
- Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeships (involved in the conditional-approval process).
- U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) status as a prerequisite for conditional approval.
Procedural and Timeline Context
- Legislative history highlights:
- 2025-01-29: Introduced.
- 2025-02-10: Referred to Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.
- 2025-03-19: Do pass and re-refer to Appropriations with recommendation; moved to Consent Calendar.
- 2025-04-23: In committee; first hearing; referred to suspense file.
- 2025-05-23: In committee; Held under submission.
- Implementation nuance:
- Even with conditional approval, programs must still satisfy ongoing conditions and ultimately receive a final determination within one year.
Impact and Implications
- For applicants and sponsors: A clearer, potentially faster path to initiating apprenticeship programs through a defined 6-month conditional-approval mechanism, contingent on DOL approval, employer commitments, and LEA partnerships.
- For the state and local jurisdictions: Adds a state-mandated-local-program cost (without an automatic state reimbursement) for localities implementing new requirements; the bill itself does not authorize a new statewide appropriation.
- For protections: Maintains existing protections against discrimination in recruitment and apprenticeship programs (misdemeanor for willful violations).
Notes
- Notably, the bill emphasizes collaboration with federal and local partners (DOL, LEAs, and the Interagency Advisory Committee) to uphold standards while enabling earlier program operation under conditional approval.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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