School-to-Work Transition and Skill Standards Development Act of 1992

School-to-Work Transition and Skill Standards Development Act of 1992 - Title I: Findings and Purposes - Sets forth congressional findings and the purposes of this Act.

Title II: National Commission on a High Skills Workforce - Establishes the National Commission on a High Skills Workforce (the Commission).

Directs the Commission to: (1) make grants to develop voluntary national industry and occupational skill standards and to improve school-to-work transition services; (2) develop a national school-to-work transition system based on such standards and services; (3) disseminate certified standards to all of various entities operating within or providing services to the appropriate industry or occupation; and (4) ensure that participants in any program conducted under this Act are afforded adequate supervision and protection by fully-skilled adult workers, and are provided with adequate and safe equipment and a safe and healthful workplace in conformity with Federal and State standards.

Requires the Commission to submit to the Congress, within one year after its initial meeting, a report containing an initial outline of the national school-to-work transition system to be developed by the Commission.

Terminates the Commission on January 1, 1998.

Authorizes appropriations.

Title III: Grants to Develop Voluntary National Industry and Occupation Skill Standards - Directs the Commission to make grants to eligible entities to develop voluntary national industry and occupational skill standards.

Limits the period of any such grant to at most three fiscal years, subject to annual Commission approval and availability of appropriations.

Sets forth application requirements, including grantee reports. Authorizes grants use only for: (1) identification of world-class standards; (2) development of voluntary national industry and occupational standards that are linked to existing rates of pay and pay increases, promote reduction and removal of bias and discrimination, and promote entry of women into nontraditional occupations or fields; (3) development of curricula and training materials that are usable by a wide variety of providers, including structured work experiences and related study programs leading to certificates or associate degrees, and provide for training of instructors; (4) assessment and certification that are based on existing world-class standards, use a variety of testing methods, establish multiple levels of mastery or certification, and provide for continuing education; (5) development of evaluation component; and (6) dissemination.

Sets forth selection requirements, including priorities and limitations. Sets forth allocation requirements.

Requires the Commission to report to the Congress in each fiscal year in which it makes such grant payments.

Directs the Commission to: (1) hold public hearings to solicit public review and comment on the voluntary national industry and occupation skills standards contained in grantee reports; and (2) certify skill standards appropriate for the industry or occupation.

Defines eligible entity as a consortium consisting of representatives from a business or industry association, a labor organization or worker representative group, and an educational institution or training organization.

Authorizes appropriations.

Title IV: Grants to States to Improve School-to-Work Transition Services - Directs the Commission to make grants to leadership States (which have existing school-to-work transition infrastructures) to improve and expand their existing school-to-work transition services. Limits the period of such a grant to at most three years, subject to annual Commission approval and availability of appropriations. Sets forth application, fund use, program, and allocation requirements. Requires a Commission report to the Congress, in each fiscal year when such grant payments are made. Authorizes appropriations for such grants.

Directs the Commission to make initial planning grants to developmental States (which lack existing school-to-work infrastructures) to establish State plans to develop school-to-work transition services. Sets forth application, fund use, program, and allocation requirements. Requires establishment of workforce quality councils to provide or assist in provision of services. Sets forth additional requirements for: (1) integration of existing apprenticeship programs; (2) flexibility in allowing participant transfers among transition programs in different fields and from and to transition programs and conventional academic programs and traditional apprenticeship programs; and (3) implementation of certified standards. Requires coordination with existing programs. Requires designation of a liaison between the provider and the clearinghouse under title VI of this Act. Sets forth grantee selection requirements, including priority for development States that: (1) have a large number or percentage of individuals who have not completed secondary or postsecondary education; (2) target urban and rural areas with high poverty and unemployment rates for transition program assistance; and (3) have policies promoting entry of women into nontraditional occupations and of minorities into the workplace. Authorizes appropriations for initial planning grants.

Directs the Commission to make implementation grants to developmental States that have successfully complied with certain requirements (under the planning grant program) to carry out the school-to-work transition program they have established. Limits the period of such an implementation grant to at most three fiscal years, subject to annual Commission approval and availability of appropriations. Sets forth application, fund use, program, and allocation requirements. Sets forth grantee selection requirements, including priority for States that: (1) have developed or will develop programs which encourage secondary students to enroll in traditional apprenticeships (with the operators' consent); (2) provide staff or teacher training in work-based learning techniques; (3) have developed alternative learning, flexible school hours and attendance policies, postsecondary options and flexibility in graduation requirements while maintaining high academic standards; and (4) have assessed the future workforce needs for the State over a three-to-five-year period based on available labor data, and have provided projections on how the State will meet such needs. Requires the Commission to report to the Congress, in each fiscal year in which such a grant is made. Authorizes appropriations for implementation grants.

Title V: Grants to Local Consortia to Improve School-to-Work Transitional Services - Directs the Commission to make grants to eligible entities to develop school-to-work transition programs which provide students with increased options for career and educational opportunities at the local level.

Limits the period of such a grant to at most three fiscal years, subject to annual Commission approval and availability of appropriations.

Sets forth application requirements.

Sets forth mandatory and discretionary uses of funds.

Sets forth grantee selection requirements, including geographic diversity and priority for entities that: (1) have labor, business, and educational organizations represented; and (2) are located in areas with high rates of poverty or unemployment.

Sets forth allocation requirements.

Requires grantees to submit reports to the Commission in each fiscal year in which they receive grant funds.

Defines an eligible entity as a consortium that: (1) must include representatives of a business or industry association, a labor organization or worker representative group, and an educational institution or training organization; and (2) may include representatives from a community-based organization, a private industry council or other similar organization, and institution of higher education, a public vocational or technical school (or technical college), and a unit of general local government.

Authorize appropriations for such grants.

Title VI: National Information Clearinghouse on a High Skills Workforce - Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish within the Department of Labor a National Information Clearinghouse on a High Skills Workforce (the Clearinghouse).

Requires the Clearinghouse to: (1) gather and compile information on different school-to-work transition programs in the United States; (2) establish and operate a national database to provide general public access to such information; (3) serve as an information source on new developments and different transition programs; (4) provide technical and policy assistance to States and eligible local consortia to improve or establish transition programs and access to them; (5) provide training and technical assistance to transition instructors, and promote diffusion of state-of-the-art teaching and training methods and technologies for such programs; (6) encourage innovation and experimentation in transition programs at State and local levels, by providing current information on national activities; (7) create an Industry Worker Training Databank within the Clearinghouse; (8) categorize Databank information in specified ways; and (9) gather and compile information on laws relating to school-to-work transition.

Directs the Secretary of Labor to report annually to the Congress, including a compilation of information received by the Clearinghouse and an evaluation of Clearinghouse effectiveness.

Authorizes appropriations.

Title VII: Nonduplication, Nondisplacement, Nondiscrimination, and Other Requirements - Sets forth prohibitions against use of assistance under this Act for programs that: (1) duplicate other programs; (2) displace employees or positions; (3) discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, handicap, political affiliation, or socioeconomic status; (4) are used by States to attract or induce existing businesses or their subsidiary units to relocate from one State to another, or engage in bidding for proposed businesses or their subsidiary units; or (5) impair existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements (without written concurrence of the labor organization and employer).